This Monday it will be 50 years to the day since the coronation of Elizabeth II.
The occasion was, of course, accompanied by significant pomp and circumstance. There were cheering crowds, royal and stately visitors from around the Commonwealth including the Queen of Tonga and swarms of newspaper reporters and, for the first time ever, television crews recording the event for posterity. But how was the image of a young fresh-faced woman as Queen received by the public. And what did this coronation signify about post-war Britain to citizens of the Commonwealth and world. The historian and author of the forthcoming book Englishness and Empire Wendy Webster joins Sheila to talk about the book. 'Englishness and Empire' is published next year.
