The Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Right from the start, Ede and Ravenscroft worked closely with the Earl Marshal’s office, making sure that the peers and knights of the orders of chivalry would all be correctly dressed. But the ultimate charge was creating the robes of Her Majesty the Queen. The ledger entry for the robes echoes those of previous coronations through the centuries. It reveals the royal robe to have been:
“a six yard train in best quality hand made purple silk velvet, trimmed with best quality Canadian ermine 5” on top and underside and fully lined with pure silk English Satin complete with ermine cape and all being tailed ermine in the traditional manner, and including embroidery by the Royal School of Needlework”.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh also had robes made for the coronation. Ede and Ravenscroft’s ledger entry for 21st August, 1952 mentions,
“A Royal Duke’s Coronation Robe in the best hand made silk velvet trimmed with finest Canadian ermine. Coronet in metal gilt with airtight case with name inscribed. A page’s uniform complete.”
Designing and completing the royal robes and dress of countless other nobles had taken months of intense work. But it was an endeavour that allowed the master robemakers of Ede and Ravenscroft to once again exhibit the full potential of their art, as it had done for all the coronations since William and Mary.
