On May 12, 1937, the grand Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth unfolded within the hallowed walls of Westminster Abbey. The date, originally chosen for King Edward VIII’s coronation before his abdication in December 1936, was kept to honor continuity amid turmoil. London glittered with flags from St James’s Palace to the Mall, where thousands gathered beneath spring rain to glimpse the Gold State Coach. Inside the Abbey, circa 11:00 a.m., George VI was anointed beneath the great lan