Queen’s Coronation Recalled as UK Prepares to Crown Her Son

James Wilkinson displays his invitation for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation where he performed as a Westminster Abbey chorister on June 2, 1953, during an interview in London, April 17, 2023. (AP)

In 1953, London was still recovering from World War II. The city was pockmarked with bomb damage, food supplies were tight and life was dull for children who had never eaten anything so exotic as a banana.

But the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II helped lift the gloom. Central London buzzed with activity as workers built temporary stands along the 5-mile route of the queen’s procession. Giant crowns were suspended from arches that soared over The Mall approaching Buckingham Palace, and shopkeepers filled their windows with colorful banners and coronation-themed products.