A surprising royal response about the Coronation comes to light

Penny Morduant has revealed she got an unexpected review of her
performance at the Coronation from a member of the Royal
Family.

The former Lord President of the Privy Council says that after
the crowning of King Charles and Queen Camilla, in which she had
played a major and notable role, she received a letter from a
member of the House of Windsor.

As she carried the heavy Sword of State aloft for over an hour
during the ceremony, she attracted worldwide attention and
comment.

However, she said that following the Coronation, she was sent a
letter by a member of the Royal Family which included the line ”how
kind of the King and Queen to come to your event’.”

Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival, she refused to name
the royal who had written to her and went on to say that she felt
the attention she had received on the day of the Coronation was
more about the whole event than just her.

At the Coronation, Penny Morduant took on the traditional role
of carrying the Sword of State, which weighs around 8lbs. The
ceremony required her to stand holding the sword straight in front
of her for its duration, with a brief break towards the end when

King Charles and Queen Camilla went into St. Edward’s Chapel to
prepare for the final procession from Westminster Abbey. However,
as they made their way back down the aisle, as the National Anthem
was played, it was Penny Morduant who led them, once more holding
the Sword of State.

Her choice of outfit for the Coronation also drew plenty of
attention. She wore a dark teal green dress and matching headband
style hat, both decorated with golden leaves.

The decision on what to wear was a difficult one as she was the
first woman ever to perform that role at the Coronation. And she
believes she wouldn’t have been asked to carry the Sword of State
had she been a man.

She told the Literary Festival that The King had been determined
that his Coronation would be as representative as possible and
added ” I’m not sure necessarily that, if I was a bloke,
whether the whole of the Lord President role would have been kept
in.”

As it was, she took an integral role in all aspects of the
accession of Charles III. She had become Lord President of the
Privy Council at the start of the tenure of Liz Truss as Prime
Minister, which happened on September 6 2022, just two days before
the death of Queen Elizabeth II. And so, less than 48 hours into
her new role, Penny Morduant found herself tasked with the
Proclamation of the new Monarch.

She had a leading role at the Accession Council which took place
on September 10 2022. Furthermore, the desire of King Charles to
make all parts of his new reign accessible meant that this
Accession Council was the first to be televised so Penny Morduant
had added pressure to get everthing right.

The comments came as she spoke about her book, Pomp and Circumstance: Why Britain’s
Traditions Matter.