King Charles Recalls Queen Elizabeth Receiving Exciting Non-Royal News on Her Coronation Eve 70 Years Ago

Queen Elizabeth's crowning ceremony in 1953 coincided with a historic first that made worldwide headlines — and King Charles just paid tribute to them

King Charles is paying tribute to a momentous event that took place 70 years ago — right before his mother Queen Elizabeth's coronation.

"Seventy years ago, on the eve of her coronation, my late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, received the wonderful news that a British Team, led by Colonel, later Lord, John Hunt, had successfully climbed Mount Everest," the monarch wrote in a statement released Wednesday in honor of the anniversary.

Queen Elizabeth's coronation took place on June 2, 1953, and the King noted, "It has not escaped my notice that there is a wonderful symmetry in the coinciding of the 70th anniversary of that achievement with my own Coronation," which took place on May 6.

To mark the anniversary, the King welcomed the children of the three men who made the first-ever successful climb to Mount Everest’s peak to Buckingham Palace: Ms. Sue Leyden (daughter of Lord Hunt), Mr. Peter Hillary (son of Sir Edmund Hillary) and Mr. Jamling Norgay (son of Mr. Tenzing Norgay).

The King, 74, noted that the trio’s historic May 29, 1953 climb was “supported by a dedicated team of mountaineers and sherpas, were a New Zealander and a Nepali Sherpa, thus bringing together two nations that have long shared a mutual love and respect for the mountains and for exploration.”

He also discussed how Lord Hunt helped Charles' father, Prince Philip, create The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a significant social program in the U.K. that fosters young peoples' adventuring spirit and resourcefulness.

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“The bond between my family and the legacy that resulted from that historic moment was further strengthened through The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, which Lord Hunt helped my father to create and which has since offered millions of young people opportunities to explore their own strengths and skills, as well as to offer their services to the community,” King Charles wrote.

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After Prince Philip died in April 2021, the King’s brother Prince Edward took over as patron of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and inherited their father's title.

Prince Edward called the program — which is available in more than 130 countries — his father's "greatest legacy." Olympians, Nobel Prize winner Paul Nurse — and Kate Middleton — are alumni of the award.

And the King — who is dedicated to environmental causes — made it a point to mention how climate change has impacted such endeavors.

“What we are celebrating today must be one of the greatest examples of endurance, combined with careful planning and collaboration.  Our world is facing unprecedented and existential challenges, including climate change which endangers fragile ecosystems, including the Himalayan range,” the monarch wrote.

Warming temperatures are taking a toll on the mountain’s glaciers, which started to melt in 2019.

King Charles continued, “I dearly hope we can take inspiration from the Everest Expedition of 1953 in order to work together in a similar fashion to safeguard our beautiful world for future generations.”

Related: Every Photo from the Coronation of King Charles III

He signed his statement Charles R — his official signature which debuted last September.

The "R" stands for Rex, which is Latin for “King.” It’s traditionally used for the monarch dating back to the 12th century.

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