Queen Elizabeth’s coronation on June 4, 1953, was drenched in heavy rains with a bitter wind blowing. In fact, coronations during the 20th century were all something of a damp squib.
The coronation of Edward VII in 1902 was scheduled for June 26, but he had an emergency operation and the ceremony was postponed. The weather on the original date was perfect — dry and warm at 24C (75F) in London. Over the next few weeks all looked encouraging. But when Edward was eventually crowned on August 9 the weather turned dull and cool, only reaching 16C (60F) in the capital. The ceremony itself went on longer than expected, and then the weather played its part as the royal carriages left for Buckingham Palace. “Another element of anxiety — inevitable on such occasions — was the weather, which looked somewhat threatening as the time for their Majesties’ approach drew near,” reported The Times. “The anxiety was, however, maintained on another ground. Clouds were lowering and raindrops occasionally fell.” The royal procession only just manage to reach the Palace before the rain fell immediately afterwards.
Almost identical conditions greeted George V’s coronation on June 22, 1911. Overcast skies, a fresh breeze, and temperatures again struggled to reach 16C (60F), although the rain held off. The remarkable thing is that the summer of 1911 was largely hot and July was the sunniest on record.
The coronation of George VI, on May 12, 1937, was another cool and cloudy day, with rain in the morning and evening. The day started out overcast, but the sun broke out in time for the royal coaches’ departure from the Palace to Westminster Abbey, although the temperature only reached 11C (52F). Afterwards, though, the sky clouded over and rain fell. “The King and Queen returned to Buckingham Palace in weather disappointingly different from the sunlit setting of their morning journey. A dull dripping sky was above, a forest of open umbrellas below,” observed The Times.