Queen Elizabeth's Coronation: The Best Rare Photos from the 1953 Crowning Ceremony

Hear ye, hear ye! Reopen the royal archives for a look back at Queen Elizabeth's crowning ceremony on June 2, 1953

Preparations for Queen Elizabeth's coronation began months in advance, steered by multiple committees and direction from Prince Philip. Here, a factory team in Essex completes Union Jack flags set to decorate the streets of London.

Regal décor rose over The Mall from Buckingham Palace, designating the path the Queen would take. Four arches stretched over the streets with a suspended metal crown dangling from each, topped with heraldic beasts. In a sly design, the arches would light up later that night.

There she is! Queen Elizabeth, who had just turned 27, traveled from Buckingham Palace to the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach with her husband, Prince Philip.

Then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill was among the over 8,000 guests in attendance. It was the third coronation he would see in his lifetime, having been present for the crowning ceremonies of Queen Elizabeth's grandfather King George V in 1911 and father King George VI in 1937.

Queen Elizabeth processed into the abbey with a little help from her six maids of honor.

"She was very, very calm," maid of honor Lady Anne Glenconner tells PEOPLE of her mood that morning, adding that the Queen "didn't say anything to us" as they stepped into action.

"We had the dress train rippling over our hands. And then she just turned around and she said, 'Ready, girls,' and off we went," Glenconner says.

The youngest guest in attendance was the Queen's 4-year-old son, the future King Charles. The little prince sat between Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, at one point looked adorably bored during the serious ceremony.

"He was just above me — he was brought in for the crowning," says Lady Anne, author of the new memoir Whatever Next? Lessons from an Unexpected Life. "We were standing below him, and he was up there with Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. I could hear him talking, asking her what was what."

Queen Elizabeth sat below a canopy to be anointed with oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher. The moment was considered so sacred that cameras were not allowed to capture it, the BBC reported.

Queen Elizabeth layered priest-like vestments over her coronation gown before starting the sequence of accepting the crown jewels. Here, the Archbishop of Canterbury hands her the bejeweled Sword of State, a symbol of royal authority.

He then presented her with the armills bracelets, stole and cloth of the Robe Royal, orb, coronation ring, glove and scepter, the Royal Family said.

The climax of the coronation was when the Archbishop of Canterbury placed the St. Edward Crown on Queen Elizabeth's head.

The solid gold, nearly 5-lb. crown is considered the most sacred in the royal collection and is only used for the actual crowning, per Historic Royal Palaces. The Queen later changed into the lighter Imperial State Crown for the remainder of the celebrations.

The newly ennobled Queen Elizabeth left Westminster Abbey as the congregation sang the British national anthem "God Save the Queen." Spot the smiles from Prince Philip and a footman!

An estimated three million people lined the streets of London for a glimpse at the Queen riding back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach. She took a winding 4.5 mile-route in order to see as many people as possible, and the ceremonial carriage ride took two hours to complete.

A little drizzle didn't dampen the spirits of the crowd that came out for a peek at the fairytale scene.

In a historic first, those who couldn't make it in person had the opportunity to catch the coronation on television. The BBC broadcast of the 1953 crowning ceremony was the first of its kind, drawing 27 million viewers in the U.K. and 11 million radio listeners.

When the palace gates closed safely behind the Gold State Coach, the throng rushed for a closer look at what was expected next — a balcony appearance from the royal family.

Surprise! Prince Charles, 4, and Princess Anne, 2, joined their parents and other members of the royal family outside on the balcony for the history-making moment, which capped with a ceremonial military flypast.

Smile! The Queen posed with the extended royal family in official photos taken that day.

She also sat for official portraits by society photographer Cecil Beaton, taken in Buckingham Palace after the crowning ceremony.

A fresh take on the static style seen in previous coronation portraits, Beaton brought in "an air of theatricality and glamour" by capturing the Queen before a painted backdrop of Westminster Abbey, according to the Royal Collection Trust.

A cold platter spread served after the big event included lox and cucumber sandwiches, fresh fruit, cookies, champagne and punch.

Hours after appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the rest of the royal family on the banner day, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip returned after nightfall to greeting the cheering crowds. Around 9:45 p.m., the Queen flicked on the "lights of London," illuminating the Mall and Admiralty Arch.

The fountains of Trafalgar Square turned "liquid silver" and floodlights from the National Gallery to the Tower of London burned bright.

Fireworks ignited the sky over the River Thames as parties continued late into the night.

Queen Elizabeth would go on to reign for a record-breaking 70 years, the longest in British history, until her death in September at age 96.

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