The Queen's Coronation, on 2 June 1953, should have been celebrated in blazing sunshine. Instead, the grey dawn heralded one of the coldest June days in years, and it poured with rain. But the enthusiasm of the hundreds of thousands of people who lined the streets waiting to see The Queen, many of whom had come from abroad, was undimmed. The processional route to and from Westminster Abbey was hung with colourful decorations and lined with miles of special seating. The Mall, in particular, was spanned by huge arches, from which hung golden crowns. In addition to those who witnessed the spectacular ceremony in the Abbey or who camped out on the processional route, millions around the world watched it on film or television. Six years before her Coronation, The Queen said: 'I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.' It is a pledge she has upheld. This book looks back to that Coronation Day and, with the help of those who were there, tells the inside story of the planning and preparations for what was the best-organised and most widely witnessed Coronation in history. Includes a foreword by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh