A detailed diagram showing how organisers could avoid a collision of key figures during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 will be displayed in London.
The plan, which is part of a wider collection of coronation notes and papers, sets out to ensure “a smooth and dignified sequence of movement” during the ceremony on the altar of Westminster Abbey.
The diagram features arrows illustrating the movement for the anointing with holy oil — with the queen represented by a circle with the capital S and the Archbishop of Canterbury by a circle with the capital C.
The papers could provide a handy blueprint for King Charles's coronation nearly 50 years after his mother's ceremony. The current monarch is set to be crowned alongside his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, on May 6.
The exhibition at Lambeth Palace Library features material dating back to King Henry I’s coronation in the Middle Ages.
A typed comment setting out directions for the monarch, the Great Chamberlain, the Lord Chamberlain and several bishops, reads: “NOTE: There should be no collision if all move at the same pace.”
The plan adds that if the participants study the details closely “there should be no need for haste, no confusion of movement and plenty of room in which to move and manoeuvre”.
Geoffrey Fisher, who was archbishop of Canterbury, was responsible for drawing up the queen’s coronation rite.
Proofs of the text of the service show his scribbled annotations and corrections throughout, including the part where Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, knelt in front of the queen to pay homage.
Lambeth Palace Library said the queen and Archbishop Fisher were keen for the prince to have a role in the service.
It said: “Where possible, amendments were made to the ceremonial to reflect this, the most significant of which was that the archbishop gave up his right to be the first to pay homage to the queen, in favour of the duke.”
Large banners used for the 1902 coronation of Edward VII are on show.
Archbishop of Canterbury Frederick Temple was suffering from failing eyesight and there were concerns for his health.
Special prompts were printed on boards in huge font for him to read from to accommodate his sight problems, with the king repeatedly muttering during the coronation: “I am very anxious about the Archbishop.”
Among the other items in the exhibition will be a pamphlet arguing for a change to George III’s procession in 1761, suggesting a “more commodious and proper” longer alternative, which, in the end, was ignored for a shorter route.
Highlights also include the Coronation Charter of Henry I, the manuscript of the coronation service prepared for King William III and Mary II, a letter from King George VI thanking the archbishop of Canterbury for his part in the coronation and the Bible upon which Elizabeth II swore her Coronation oath.
The free display will open to the public at the library in London from April 12 to July 13.
Queen Elizabeth's coronation - in pictures
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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Range: Up to 610km
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
