Penny Mordaunt has revealed she took painkillers before the Coronation to help her carry the ceremonial swords. The Tory MP said she made sure she was “in good nick” to carry the 17th Century Sword of State and Jewelled Sword of Offering during the ceremony.
Speaking on Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast, she said: “I was not in the gym for six months prior to this” but added: “You want to make sure you are in good nick.
“I did take a couple of painkillers before just to make sure I was going to be alright.”
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Ms Mordaunt added that her navy training in Portsmouth helped her to stand for long periods as she “wriggled her toes” to keep her circulation going. She gave an impressive performance during the Coronation in her role as Lord President of the Council, carrying the swords for more than an hour.
It was the first time the Jewelled Sword of Offering was presented to the King by a woman. She received praise on social media and was even turned into various memes, with some comparing her outfit to the Poundland logo.
She told the podcast: “I was reunited with my phone and found that I had become a meme. I say well done to the Great British public”. Ms Mordaunt said that taking part in the coronation was a “huge privilege.”
She advised anyone wanting to follow in her footsteps to “practice”, “have a good breakfast” and to “wear comfortable shoes”. For the coronation she wore a custom-made teal caped dress which was embroidered with a golden laurel, in a change to the traditional black formal dress worn by her predecessors.
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