Editing Westminster Abbey (section)

== Royal occasions ==
The abbey has strong connections with the royal family. It has been patronised by monarchs, been the location for coronations, royal weddings and funerals, and several monarchs have attended services there. One monarch was born and one died at Westminster Abbey. In 1413, [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] collapsed while praying at the shrine of Edward the Confessor. He was moved into the Jerusalem Chamber, and died shortly afterwards.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=29}} Edward V was born in the abbot's house in 1470.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=35}}

[[File:William Ewart Lockhart, Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Service, Westminster Abbey, 21 June 1887 (1887–1890).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Queen Victoria]]'s Golden Jubilee celebrations in Westminster Abbey in 1887; the queen is enthroned on the centre-left.|alt=A painting of many people in fine robes and dresses standing inside the abbey. In the middle distance, Queen Victoria sits on a chair raised on a platform.]]

The first jubilee celebration held at the abbey was for [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee]] in 1887. Rather than wearing the full regalia that she had worn at her coronation, she wore her black mourning clothes topped with the insignia of the [[Order of the Garter]] and a miniature crown. She sat in the Coronation Chair—which received a coat of dark varnish for the occasion, which was painstakingly removed afterwards{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=65}}—making her the only monarch to sit in the chair twice.{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|p=167}} Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]], marked their silver, gold, and diamond [[Wedding anniversary|wedding anniversaries]] with services at the abbey and regularly attended annual observances there for [[Commonwealth Day]].{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=79}}

The monarch participates in the Office of the Royal Maundy on [[Maundy Thursday]] each year, during which selected elderly people (as many people of each sex as the monarch has years of their life) receive alms of coins. The service has been held at churches around the country since 1952, returning to the abbey every 10 years.{{sfn|Robinson|1992|p=ix}}

=== Coronations ===
{{Main|Coronation of the British monarch|List of British coronations}}
[[File:Matthew Dubourg after James StephanoffCoronationGeorgeIVpubl1822.jpg|alt=A colour drawing of George IV seated on a raised platform in the middle of the abbey, with a huge crowd of people in attendance.|thumb|The 1822 coronation of [[George IV]] in the abbey]]

Since the [[Coronation of William I|coronation of William the Conqueror]] in 1066, 40 English and British monarchs have been crowned in Westminster Abbey (not counting Edward V, [[Lady Jane Grey]], and [[Edward VIII]], who were never crowned).{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=61}}<ref name="FitzGerald-2023">{{Cite web |last1=FitzGerald |first1=James |last2=Owen |first2=Emma |last3=Moloney |first3=Marita |last4=Therrien |first4=Alex |date=6 May 2023 |title=Coronation live: Charles and Camilla crowned King and Queen at Westminster Abbey |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-65474712 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629091754/https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-65474712 |archive-date=2023-06-29 |access-date=6 May 2023 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}}</ref> In 1216, Henry III could not be crowned in the abbey because London was occupied by hostile forces at the time. Henry was crowned in [[Gloucester Cathedral]], and had a second coronation at Westminster Abbey in 1220.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=15}} When he had the abbey rebuilt, it was designed with long transepts to accommodate many guests at future coronations.{{Sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=10}} Much of the order of service derives from the ''[[Liber Regalis]]'', an illuminated manuscript made in 1377 for the coronation of Richard II and held in the abbey's collections.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=62}} On 6 May 2023, the [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|coronation of Charles III]] took place at the abbey.<ref name="FitzGerald-2023" /> The area used in the church is the crossing, known in the abbey as "the theatre" because of its suitability for grand events. The space in the crossing is clear rather than filled with immovable pews (like many similar churches), allowing for temporary seating in the transepts.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=61}}

[[File:The Coronation Chair.jpg|alt=An old gilded wooden chair on a raised platform in front of a red curtain.|thumb|The [[Coronation Chair]], with a slot underneath the seat to hold the Scottish [[Stone of Scone]]]]
The Coronation Chair (the throne on which English and British sovereigns are seated when they are crowned) is in the abbey's St George's Chapel near the west door, and has been used at coronations since the 14th century.{{sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=11}} From 1301 to 1996 (except for a short time in 1950, when the stone was stolen by Scottish nationalists), the chair housed the Stone of Scone upon which the kings of Scots were crowned. Although it has been kept in Scotland at [[Edinburgh Castle]] since 1996, the stone is returned to the Coronation Chair in the abbey as needed for coronations.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-04-28 |title=Stone of Destiny heads south for coronation |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-65411666 |access-date=2023-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908120420/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65411666 |archive-date=2023-09-08}}</ref> The chair was accessible to the public during the 18th and 19th centuries; people could sit in it, and some carved initials into the woodwork.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=68}}

Before the 17th century, a king would hold a separate coronation for his new queen if he married after his coronation. The last of these to take place in the abbey was the coronation of [[Anne Boleyn]] in 1533, after her marriage to Henry VIII.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=43}} Fifteen coronations of [[queen consort|queens consort]] have been held in the abbey. A coronation for [[Jane Seymour]], Henry VIII's third wife, was planned but she died before it took place; no coronations were planned for Henry's subsequent wives. Mary I's husband, [[Philip II of Spain|Philip of Spain]], was not given a separate coronation due to concerns that he would attempt to rule alone after Mary's death. Since then, there have been few opportunities for a second coronation; monarchs have generally come to the throne already married.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=61}}

[[Henry II of England|Henry II]] held a coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 1170 for his son, known as [[Henry the Young King]], while Henry II was still alive in an attempt to secure the succession. However, the Young King died before his father and never took the throne.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=61}}

===<span class="anchor" id="Royal weddings"></span>Weddings===
At least 16 royal weddings have taken place at the abbey.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hassan |first=Jennifer |date=8 January 2023 |title=Royal Treatment |url=https://richmond.com/eedition/richmond/page-e6/page_25143fe7-2ee3-5b66-936f-a723e6be216e.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130211641/https://richmond.com/eedition/richmond/page-e6/page_25143fe7-2ee3-5b66-936f-a723e6be216e.html |archive-date=30 January 2023 |access-date=30 January 2023 |website=Richmond Times-Dispatch |language=en}}</ref> Royal weddings at the abbey were relatively rare before the 20th century, with royals often married in a [[Chapel Royal]] or at Windsor Castle; this changed with the 1922 wedding of [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Princess Mary]] at the abbey. In 1923, [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]] became the first royal bride to leave her bouquet on the grave of [[the Unknown Warrior]], a practice continued by many royal brides since.{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|p=174}}

[[File:Huwelijk Prinses Elisabeth, Bestanddeelnr 902-4695 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The 1947 wedding of [[Elizabeth II|Princess Elizabeth]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Phillip Mountbatten]] in the abbey|alt=Princess Elizabeth and Phillip Mountbatten process down the aisle of the abbey, followed by bridesmaids.]]
Royal weddings have included:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Year
!Groom
!Bride
|-
| 1100{{sfn|Weir|2011|pp=16-19}}
| [[Henry I of England]]
| [[Matilda of Scotland]]
|-
| 1243{{sfn|Weir|2011|pp=16-19}}
| | [[Richard of Cornwall|Richard, Earl of Cornwall]]
| [[Sanchia of Provence]]
|-
| 1269{{sfn|Weir|2011|pp=16-19}}
| [[Edmund Crouchback|Edmund, Earl of Leicester and Lancaster]]
| [[Aveline de Forz, Countess of Aumale|Aveline de Forz]]
|-
| 1382{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| [[Richard II of England]]
| [[Anne of Bohemia]]
|-
| 1486{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| [[Henry VII of England]]
| [[Elizabeth of York]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Princess Patricia and Alexander Ramsay|1919]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| Captain The Hon. [[Alexander Ramsay (Royal Navy officer)|Alexander Ramsay]]
| [[Princess Patricia of Connaught]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Princess Mary and Henry Lascelles|1922]]<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Barford |first1=Vanessa |last2=Pankhurst |first2=Nigel |date=2010-11-18 |title=Is Westminster Abbey the ultimate royal wedding venue? |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11791736 |access-date=2023-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520235543/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11791736 |archive-date=2022-05-20}}</ref>
| [[Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood|Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles]]
| [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|The Princess Mary]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|1923]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| [[George VI|Prince Albert, Duke of York]]
| [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark|1934]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| [[Prince George, Duke of Kent]]
| [[Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten|1947]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| Lieutenant [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Philip Mountbatten]]
| [[Elizabeth II|The Princess Elizabeth]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones|1960]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| [[Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon|Antony Armstrong-Jones]]
| [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|The Princess Margaret]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy|1963]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| The Hon. [[Angus Ogilvy]]
| [[Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy|Princess Alexandra of Kent]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips|1973]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| Captain [[Mark Phillips]]
| [[Anne, Princess Royal|The Princess Anne]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson|1986]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=77}}
| [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|The Prince Andrew]]
| [[Sarah, Duchess of York|Sarah Ferguson]]
|-
| [[Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton|2011]]<ref name="BBC News-2011">{{cite web |date=29 April 2011 |title=Royal wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton marry |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/13015642 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110502085224/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/13015642 |archive-date=2 May 2011 |access-date=8 January 2012 |website=BBC News }}</ref>
| [[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William of Wales]]
| [[Catherine, Princess of Wales|Catherine Middleton]]
|-
|}

=== <span class="anchor" id="Royal funerals"></span>Funerals ===
Many royal funerals took place at the abbey between that of Edward the Confessor in 1066{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=7}} and that of Prince Henry, the last royal buried in the church, in 1790. There were no royal funerals at the abbey from then until that of [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]] in 1925; the queen was buried in [[Windsor Castle]].<ref name="Stubbings-2022">{{Cite news |last=Stubbings |first=David |date=2022-09-19 |title=The Kings and Queens buried at Westminster Abbey across 700 years |work=Shropshire Star |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/royal-family/2022/09/19/the-kings-and-queens-buried-at-westminster-abbey-across-700-years/ |access-date=2023-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203234408/https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/royal-family/2022/09/19/the-kings-and-queens-buried-at-westminster-abbey-across-700-years/ |archive-date=2022-12-03}}</ref> Other queen consorts, such as [[Mary of Teck]] in 1953 and [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]] in 2002, have also had funerals at the abbey before being buried elsewhere.<ref name="Stubbings-2022" />

On 6 September 1997, the ceremonial [[funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales]] was held at the abbey. Before the funeral, the railings of the abbey were swamped with flowers and tributes. The event was more widely seen than any previous occasion in the abbey's history, with 2&nbsp;billion television viewers worldwide.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=80}} Diana was buried privately on a private island at [[Althorp]], her family estate.<ref>{{cite news |date=1997 |title=Diana Returns Home |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/diana/althorp.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025075722/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/diana/althorp.html |archive-date=25 October 2016}}</ref>

On 19 September 2022, the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|state funeral of Elizabeth II]] took place at the abbey before her burial at [[St George's Chapel, Windsor]].<ref name="cnn">{{Cite web |last1=Foster |first1=Max |last2=McGee |first2=Luke |last3=Owoseje |first3=Toyin |date=19 September 2022 |title=Who's on the guest list for Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral? |url=https://edition.cnn.com/uk/live-news/funeral-queen-elizabeth-intl-gbr#h_aa9a08fc92840465b7f7fdd40f4f3439 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921205149/https://edition.cnn.com/uk/live-news/funeral-queen-elizabeth-intl-gbr/h_aa9a08fc92840465b7f7fdd40f4f3439 |archive-date=21 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=CNN |url-status=live |language=en}}</ref> It was the first funeral of a monarch at Westminster Abbey for more than 260 years.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hirwani |first=Peoni |date=19 September 2022 |title=The significance of Westminster Abbey, where the Queen's funeral service is taking place |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/westminster-abbey-queen-prince-philip-b2170168.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416085933/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/westminster-abbey-queen-prince-philip-b2170168.html |archive-date=2023-04-16 |access-date=9 April 2023 |website=The Independent }}</ref>