King’s coronation: Yorkshire residents remember the last time Britain crowned a monarch
As the celebrations of the King and Queen’s coronation continue, one man remembers the last time Britain marked a moment like this.
John Reid from Settle, a small market town in North Yorkshire, has vivid recollections of how a rural community came together for a parade that was part of a fortnight of celebrations in 1953.
As we walked through the town, the 79-year-old pointed out parts of the market square, beginning to paint a picture of a day that has stayed with him his whole life.
“It was all in the market square, hundreds of people, I think it brought all the community together. You never were really split up, no matter what denomination you were, what age you were, you were all brought together, and you all celebrated it, from youngsters right to grandparents age.”
As part of the pageant, he won first prize for his costume; dressing as an English nobleman. The reward was 10 shillings, which would be just under £18 in today’s currency.
“Nana Reid, my dad’s mum, made the costume out of any sort of material she had available and was suitable,” he recalled.
“I probably would have been encouraged to put it in my savings bank, it was a lot of money in 1953.”
For Helen and John Reid, preserving and protecting memories of previous coronations is important
For John and his wife Helen, preserving and protecting memories like those are important.
Before we strolled through Settle, the pair proudly showed me a collection of plastic wallets, filled with photographs and newspaper cuttings about events in the town 70 years ago to commemorate the late Elizabeth II being crowned.
“There are not a lot of people living locally who actually can remember these events,” said Helen, “so it’s nice to have it documented. I think it’s very important for the next generations to look back on.”
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For John, a retired joiner, it’s also a way to share his personal history.
While watching some archive footage from the parade captured on camera by Eddie Percy – who was a local plumber and amateur filmmaker – he picked out and names a number of people enjoying the festivities. Many of those people were his relatives.
“Sadly a lot of people aren’t with us any more, but when our family comes up, I can pass on information, what we did and what we were involved in.”
Read more:
King crowned by Archbishop of Canterbury in historic coronation
Eyewitness account from inside Westminster Abbey
Moments that mirrored Queen Elizabeth II’s ceremony
A banner first used in 1935 for the Golden Jubilee of George V, then during the reigns of George VI and the late Queen
In the nearby village of Langcliffe, there is also a long and well-documented history of celebrating royal occasions, with pictures dating back to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
At the heart of festivities will be a set of banners first used in 1935 for the Golden Jubilee of George V, then during the reigns of George VI and the late Queen.
One side of one of the banners is inscribed with the words “God save the King”, while the other side says, “God save the Queen”.
Kate Croll doesn’t think celebrations in 2023 will be as large as they were in the past
Kate Croll, who lives in Langcliffe, keeps them at her home, along with pictures and documents chronicling more than a century of history.
Talking about the banners, she said: “It must have been one of the Queen’s Jubilees when I first saw them, and I was blown away.”
“They’ve been well-used, there’s that continuity there. It’s nearly 90 years since they were made and here we are reusing them,” she said.
In both Langcliffe and Settle, there is a recognition that this time the events in both places will be smaller.
“Now I suspect, yes, we will celebrate, but it’s not going to be on the same scale, I’m afraid,” said Kate.
Langcliffe in 1953
“I think it’s a generation thing, a lot of my generation are looking forward to it very much, but it will a bit more low-key this time round.”
After the celebrations, Kate will turn her attention to finding a way to proudly display the pieces of history she has collected, with plans for an exhibition in the near future.
“I do think it’s absolutely vital,” she said. “For future generations, I think in the fullness of time, they will want to look back.
“To have those records is important, if previous generations hadn’t kept them, we wouldn’t have them to look back on now.”
All flights were halted at Edinburgh Airport this morning due to an IT issue affecting its air traffic control provider.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the airport later announced service had resumed.
Its post read: “Flights have now resumed following the IT issue with our air traffic provider.
“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”
But passengers continue to feel the effects.
A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Edinburgh was diverted to Dublin after going into a holding pattern over the Scottish capital.
And a live arrivals board on the airport’s website showed multiple flights diverted, delayed and cancelled.
Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport
Morven McCall and Cody Stevenson, both 19, were due to fly easyJet from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on their first trip away together.
Morven told Sky News: “We literally just got into the airport and as soon as we walked through the door there was an announcement that it had been cancelled.
“I was ill over the summer and had to cancel two holidays already, this was our first time going away together. We are just gutted and stressed.”
Follow live: Latest updates as flights halted
Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA
One passenger was on a plane when they found out.
They said: “We boarded our flight and pushed back on time for an 8.45 (am) departure, then sat for a while before the pilot told us what was happening.
“He updated us a couple of times, cabin crew are brilliant at handing out water etc, and I’m surprised that everyone appears to be upbeat. But then you do wonder how long for, just been told we’re hoping to be in the air in 20 minutes.”
Another passenger told us: “The first news was from the airport announcement as we were halfway through boarding, saying the airfield was closed due to air traffic control down.
“No one knew what was going on. We’d already been delayed a bit before boarding, with no reason. I suspect problems started about 9am.”
It comes after an earlier announcement that all flights had been halted.
“No flights are currently operating from Edinburgh Airport,” the previous statement said.
“Teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.”
There was no timeframe for recovery initially, Sky News learned.
It’s understood by PA that the issue was not linked to today’s Cloudflare outage.
Edinburgh Trams also posted on X, writing: “If you’re travelling with us to @EDI_Airport this morning, please be aware that flights are not currently operating.”
The airport urged passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on flights.
An average of 43,000 passengers per day use the airport, which is served by 37 airlines flying to 155 destinations.
A former doctor has been charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients in his care.
Nathaniel Spencer, 38, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.
It follows a police investigation into alleged sexual offences between 2017 and 2021.
Staffordshire Police said in a statement the charges come after a complex investigation by the Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre
Ben Samples, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit and Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit, said: “We have decided to prosecute Nathaniel Spencer for a number of serious sexual offences allegedly carried out against patients while he was working as a doctor – including assault by penetration and sexual assault against a child.
“Our prosecutors have worked at length to support a detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police, carefully reviewing the available evidence to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”
Spencer, from Birmingham, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.
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