The Peers of
the Realm, those with royal connections by birth and bequeathment, had brought
their coronets to the Abbey, but they were not wearing them. They had come in their scarlet robes, with
rows of ermine (or rabbit if necessary) depicting their rank, but their
coronets had been left in the care of their pursuivants.
These youngsters
now entered the Theater, bearing the royal headgear. Their colorful uniforms were a medieval
splash in the gold and scarlet arena.
With a bow, they presented to the titled owners the symbol of their
royal dignity and their subservience to The Crown.
The
Archbishop was at the Altar. He lifted
St. Edward’s Crown high, and it responded with a flash of diamonds and rubies
and emeralds . . . gemstones so large that it would take all the carats at a
jewelry store and more to equal their weight . . . and, setting it back upon
the Altar, he blessed it.
“Bless
we beseech thee this Crown, and so sanctify thy servant Elizabeth upon whose
head this day thou dost place if for a sign of royal majesty, that she may be
fitted by thine abundant grace with all princely virtues.”
The Archbishop
came down from the Altar, and the Ministers of the Church came with him. The Dean of Westminster was bearing the Crown
on a scarlet cushion. All those given on
earth to represent heaven’s glories now approached where the young woman sat,
seventeen months Queen, now to be crowned and enthroned.
May the
Abbess ask once more, who last brought from the Altar of God the blessing of
God upon our heads? In our day, as in
most generations, one’s head is more apt to be teased or turned than blessed,
but if neither pastor nor preacher, friend nor family has ratified the blessing
and sanctity of the “abundant grace” and “princely virtues” that are ours in Christ
Jesus, receive this day a crowning blessing,
“May the servant who reads these words be blessed to behold You
throughout each day, and may the head of the one who looks to You be crowned
with joy, and the heart filled with gladness.
May hope, by which we are not ashamed, be the royal emblem of
Majesty visible to all, and may the Wisdom, the Righteousness, and the Sanctity
of Your Son Jesus be throne and robe and ring, as surely as You have crowned us
with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Amen.”
"Crowning Moment"
Rotherham Web
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