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Coronations and Major Royal Events

How a new monarch is crowned at Westminster Abbey and the jubilees that mark long reigns.

British monarchs are crowned at Westminster Abbey, a tradition stretching back to William the Conqueror's coronation in 1066. The ceremony is conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury and includes the placing of St Edward's Crown on the new monarch's head. The most recent coronation, of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, took place on 6 May 2023.

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Long reigns are marked with jubilees: silver after 25 years, ruby after 40, golden after 50, diamond after 60 and platinum after 70. Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver (1977), Golden (2002), Diamond (2012) and Platinum (2022) Jubilees, the only British monarch ever to do so.

You may be asked where coronations are held (Westminster Abbey), or what a Diamond Jubilee marks (60 years on the throne).

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