Penny Mordaunt had a surprisingly prominent role in the coronation ceremony – but there is a reason for it.
It’s all because the Conservative MP is the lord president of the privy council and leader of the Commons, having been appointed last September.
The privy council is made up of senior elected politicians and ceremonial officers. It advises the monarch, and its members (privy counsellors) are appointed by the King on the advice of the prime minister.
That’s why Mordaunt carried the sword of state, made for King George IV’s 1821 coronation, in the procession through Westminster Abbey in front of the King when he was entering the building.
The sword of state represents the King’s authority, and is a key part of the ancient service.
It was then swapped for the jewelled sword of offering, which symbolises royal power and being able to differentiate between good and evil.
Mordaunt carried out the ancient tradition whereby this sword, first blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, was carried to the King and placed in his right hand as he sits on the coronation chair.
The sword was then clipped onto the golden coronation belt (or girdle), before being unclipped. The King then stepped forward to offer it to the Dean of Westminster, and it’s placed on the alter.
Mordaunt received the sword again after exchanging it for some redemption money – one hundred newly-minted 50p pieces with Charles’s profile on them – which she placed on an alms dish held by the Dean.
She then had even more duties with the sword, carrying it without its scabbard before the monarch for the rest of the service.
The MP told Times Radio that she had been doing press-ups ahead of the big day, to prepare for carrying the ceremonial blade.
Her outfit was made especially for the occasion, as she is the first woman in history to hold this role. Her decorative look was complete with gold braiding – a traditional look reserved for those in the privy council – placed on a dress.
Mordaunt told POLITICO that she felt “it wasn’t right” to wear the customary black-and-gold court dress of the privy council, so she wanted “to come up with something that is modern and will give a firm nod to the heritage”.
Her position in the privy council also meant she had to oversee the Accession Council after the Queen’s death in September last year.