The Coronation of King William IV

King William IV with St Edward's Crown by Sir William Beechey. From Wikimedia Commons

William IV had “an inbred dislike of ceremonial,” said historian Roy Strong. At first, he balked at the idea of holding his own coronation, but he had to give in to courtiers and government officials, realizing that it was a constitutional thing to do so. However, he laid his condition: there must be no ceremonial or procession associated with Westminster Hall. This decision irked the Tories, who called the event the "Half Crown-nation". According to Strong, William's insistence on a bare coronation ceremony "signalled the end of a whole litany of symbolic acts going back to the Middle Ages, including the coronation banquet, the ritual of the King's Champion throwing down the gauntlet, and endless petty actions related to land tenure".

Wearing his admiral's uniform and Queen Adelaide, in white and gold dress, the royal couple travelled to and from the Abbey in the Gold State Coach made for George III in 1762. This set the precedence for future coronations of providing a public spectacle for the masses.

In terms of cost, William IV’s coronation was the complete opposite of his brother’s lavish coronation in 1821. George IV's coronation cost the government £240,000, (equivalent to £21,800,000 in 2021). This William abhorred and went to the opposite extreme, spending only £30,000 on a "cut-price" event (equivalent to £2,900,000 in 2021). Seven years later, Queen Victoria's coronation was budgeted at £70,000 to achieve a compromise between the two extremes.

The Coronation Procession of William IV by Richard Barrett Davis. Royal Collection Trust.

In contrast to Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838, little attention was given to organizing public entertainment for the event. As a result, the people had to content themselves with the two processions between St James's and the Abbey. The day commenced with a gun salute fired in Hyde Park at 5 am, followed by the royal family departing from the Palace at 9 am. An hour later, the King and Queen embarked on the Gold State Coach, which was used for the first time in a coronation. Accompanied by the Life Guards, the coaches proceeded along Pall Mall, passing through Charing Cross and continuing along Whitehall towards the abbey. Along the route, foot guards lined the streets, and temporary stands were erected to accommodate spectators, with the ones at Charing Cross having a capacity of up to three thousand individuals. In favourable weather, the return procession commenced from the abbey at 3:30 pm. That evening, the "New Avenue," now recognized as The Mall, was illuminated and opened to the public for the very first time.

Coronation of William IV and Queen Adelaide. Image from Adelaide Economic Development Agency [Australia]

Here’s more about King William IV’s coronation from The Evening News (June 14, 1902)

It is easy to imagine the details of the fight that has evidently been going on in the Privy Council over the Coronation service (says a London paper). The laymen want, naturally, to cut it down as far as possible. The ecclesiastics have resisted every suggestion of the kind. Exactly the same thing took place when William IV came to the throne, except that whereas King Edward is said to be anxious for the retention of all that is important, King William's one idea was to drop all he could. But the Bishops would have none -of it. “We shall weary the Almighty with our supplications,” was Lord Brougham's remark at the sitting of the Committee of the Privy Council, when Archbishop Howley and Bishop Blomfleld positively refused to permit the Coronation service to be curtailed. The great dispute was about the homage, as when the “ceremonial” was submitted for approval to William IV., he vowed that nothing would induce him to go through the ordeal of being kissed by the Bishops. His Majesty did not object to the salute of the peers, but he protested that he would sooner not be crowned than submit to being kissed by the prelates, and he ordered that part of the programme to be cut out. However, the Archbishop remonstrated vigorously, and the King knocked under, but with a bad grace. At the Levee the day before the Coronation, His Majesty's ill-temper was the subject of general remark, and he caused a scene with the Officer of the Guard, who was publicly rebuked by the King for not having his cap on.