8 Reasons Queen Victoria’s Coronation Fell Short of Expectations

Queen Victoria’s coronation occurred on June 28, 1838, amidst immense celebration. While the subsequent parade, witnessed by around 400,000 people, was a resounding triumph, the young queen herself described the day as the Proudest of her life in her diary.

However, the event was far from flawless. Here are eight notable blunders that marred the occasion.

1. The absence of proper rehearsals led to widespread disarray.

Following the guidance of her prime minister, William Lamb (also known as Lord Melbourne), Queen Victoria made a pre-coronation visit to Westminster Abbey to familiarize herself with the venue. “I’m very glad I went to the Abbey, as I shall now know exactly where I’m to go, and be,” she noted in her diary.

Despite this, she had to depend on signals from others, many of whom clearly lacked sufficient practice. “The various participants in the ceremony were poorly prepared and had failed to rehearse adequately … leading to constant confusion and awkwardness, leaving the Queen unsure of her next steps,” attendee Charles Greville observed. Future prime minister Benjamin Disraeli also remarked that the participants “were perpetually uncertain about the sequence of events, highlighting the lack of preparation.” 

Victoria herself shared these frustrations. “The Bishop of Durham … was, as Lord Melbourne informed me, notably inept and never managed to explain what was supposed to happen,” she lamented. At one point, the Archbishop of Canterbury entered St. Edward’s Chapel to present her with the Sovereign’s Orb—only to discover she was already holding it. Victoria recounted that “he (as usual) was so flustered and clueless and—simply left.”

2. The train-bearers faltered as they walked down the aisle.

Several ladies-in-waiting were tasked with managing the queen’s lengthy train as they walked down the aisle, a challenge compounded by their own cumbersome trains. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope noted that “our small trains were a constant nuisance, as we inevitably stepped on them. They were entirely unnecessary, and the lack of rehearsal made matters worse. We struggled to carry the Queen’s train smoothly, often out of sync, which must have made it difficult for her to maintain her poised and graceful stride throughout the lengthy procession in the Abbey.”

3. The altar turned into a makeshift buffet.

The coronation ceremony stretched over five hours, leaving attendees in need of sustenance. St. Edward’s Chapel, a side room used during the coronation, provided refreshments. However, the setup was far from discreet—the altar itself was repurposed as a snack station. Victoria expressed her dismay in her diary, writing, “what was supposed to be an Altar was cluttered with sandwiches, wine bottles, and the like.”

4. A bishop almost missed an entire segment of the ceremony.

As one clergyman noted in his program, the Bishop of Bath and Wells mistakenly skipped two pages, prematurely announcing the end of the service. By then, Victoria had already retreated to St. Edward’s Chapel and had to be summoned back to the abbey to complete the ceremony.

5. The coronation ring caused Queen Victoria significant discomfort.

According to British tradition, the coronation ring is placed on the monarch’s ring finger. However, Victoria’s goldsmiths misunderstood “fourth finger” to mean the pinky, crafting the ring accordingly. During the ceremony, Victoria attempted to have the Archbishop place it on her pinky, but he insisted on fitting it onto the ring finger. “I struggled immensely to remove it afterward, eventually succeeding with considerable pain,” Victoria wrote. Greville added that she finally managed to take it off by soaking her finger in ice water.

6. Lord Rolle took an unexpected tumble.

Baron John Rolle’s exact birth year remains somewhat uncertain, but he was undoubtedly in his eighties during Victoria’s coronation. This made his sudden fall while ascending the abbey stairs all the more startling. 

“The sight made me feel quite ill,” attendee Harriet Martineau recalled. “The frail elderly man, supported by two Peers, was almost at the royal footstool when he slipped from their grasp and tumbled down the steps, ending up in a heap at the bottom, entangled in his ceremonial robes.”

Fortunately, Rolle emerged unscathed, and Victoria received praise for her quick response to assist him. The incident even sparked a rather humorous rumor among foreign visitors. As Martineau recounted, “A foreigner in London solemnly informed his fellow countrymen, believing it entirely true, that the Lords Rolle were required to perform this tumble at every coronation as a condition of their title.”

7. The musical arrangements were peculiar.

Sir George Smart, the music director, attempted to serve as both organist and conductor, resulting in minimal actual conducting. The Spectator described the coronation music as “a disgrace to the current state of the art in this nation,” while The Musical World critiqued various aspects with sharp criticism. 

Smart “seems to lack creativity, memory, or artistic skill, and how anyone, whether amateur or professional, can compose without at least one of these qualities is beyond our comprehension,” The Musical World’s critics remarked. “We are embarrassed for him and for the decline of our esteemed Protestant tradition of church music.” The eight oboists, on the other hand, “were united in their resolve to play dreadfully out of tune,” and one piano composition was “in a style that defies all known musical conventions … a conductor would be mortified to lead such meaningless nonsense.” In summary, “There was no one in authority who seemed to understand what constituted a respectable score, leading to moments of utter absurdity.”

8. The coronation medals caused a commotion.

As the ceremony neared its conclusion, Lord Surrey, the Treasurer of the Household, distributed coronation medals to the crowd. Greville noted that the medals were “tossed around by Lord Surrey, with everyone fiercely competing to grab them, especially the Maids of Honor, who were particularly enthusiastic.”

Lady Wilhelmina also described the scene as “a chaotic frenzy,” portraying Surrey as “nearly overwhelmed by the crowd’s fervor.” She wrote that he “lost his composure entirely, appearing as flushed and agitated as a turkey-cock.” However, she likely contested Greville’s claim about the Maids of Honor, instead pointing out that the pages were the most energetic, with some collecting up to a dozen medals.