The present queen of England, Elizabeth II, stands in a royal line going back to Cerdic, first king of the West Saxons, who died in the year 534. Most of the early West Saxon kings, including Alfred the Great, lived and died in Winchester, and their burial chests may be seen to this day in Winchester Cathedral. From Edward the Confessor (who reigned from 1042 to 1066) onward, however, the kings and queens of England have lived in or near London. Their places of worship, special religious ceremonies and the tombs where their remains are laid are of great significance to the nation and of major interest to visitors. The practice and defence of the Christian faith has from earliest times been considered the duty of English sovereigns, and coronations are in most of their aspects Christian ceremonials. At a coronation, which always takes place in Westminster Abbey, the new king or queen is first presented to the people by the archbishop of Canterbury and other high officers in what is called the ‘recognition’.
The coronation oath is then administered by the archbishop, and the sovereign is presented with a Bible by the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Next is the anointing of the sovereign with oil, a symbolic act from the Old Testament indicating that the Spirit of God is poured out on the new monarch. After being invested with spurs, bracelets and a sword, these articles are then placed on the altar.
Next the sovereign is clothed in royal robes and, sitting in the coronation chair, receives the orb, the ring and the sceptres from the archbishop, who also places a crown on the king or queen’s head. A benediction is pronounced, the sovereign is enthroned and receives the homage of spiritual and temporal peers. The last part of the ceremony is a communion service, indicating that the monarch is following the command of Christ, ‘This do in remembrance of me’. The anthems of the coronation consist primarily of hymns and anthems, the oldest of which, ‘Zadok the Priest’, is taken from 1 Kings 39 and 40 in the Old Testament. The music for this was composed by Handel for the coronation of George II.
There are in or near London several chapels where the English sovereign worships on occasion and where special ceremonies are held.
These are:
- Westminster Abbey: Always used for coronations, sometimes for royal weddings.
- Royal chapel in Buckingham Palace: Used by the sovereign for private services while in residence.
- Chapel Royal, St James Palace: The sovereign attends special services here during the year. It also has been used for royal weddings.
- St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle: The monarch attends services here while in residence. Royal funerals and burials also take place here.
- St Paul’s Cathedral: The queen attends special services here. It was used for the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
In addition to royal chapels where the monarch currently attends services, there are also in or near London chapels associated with the crown that have great historical significance.
They are:
- The Queen’s Chapel, St James Palace: One of the first Renaissance buildings built by Inigo Jones, it is open to the public both for visiting and for services on Sundays.
- The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy: This is associated with the queen through her right to the Duchy of Lancaster and is also the Chapel of the Royal Victorian Order. Open to the public for visiting and for services on Sunday.
- The Chapel Royal at Hampton Court: A beautiful sixteenth-century chapel associated with Henry VIII and other sovereigns who resided at Hampton Court Palace. Finally, there are the royal chapels where England’s past monarchs are interred. They are:
- Royal Chapels, Westminster Abbey: Burial place of Edward the Confessor, Henry VII, Queen Elizabeth I and many of Britain’s royalty from the eleventh to the seventeenth century.
- St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle: Here are entombed the monarchs not buried in Westminster Abbey, beginning with Edward IV interred here in 1483 and including Henry VIII and all the monarchs from George III to the present day (excepting Victoria, who is buried at Frogmore House nearby).
- The Chapel Royal of St Peter-ad-Vincula, Tower: In this chapel lie the remains of Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Catherine Howard, beheaded in the Tower under Henry VIII.