On This Day in the 20th Century: The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (June 2, 1953)

On this day in the 20th century, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth took place at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth was only 25 years of age when she became Queen. Her father, King George VI, had died a year earlier, on the 6th of February 1952. After a period of mourning following the death of the monarch, the coronation took place on June 2, 1953, making Elizabeth Queen and sovereign of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon.