The crowds roared for the King and Queen as they appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their historic Coronation.
Their Majesties stood alongside 13 other members of the Royal family to greet the cheering crowds in the rain, which caused the flypast display to be scaled down.
The King was flanked by the Prince and Princess of Wales and the couple’s three children; Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The flypast to mark the Coronation was due to involve more than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force flying over The Mall in central London.
However, because of the “unsuitable weather conditions”, the event only involved helicopters and the Red Arrows, and no aircraft from the Battle of Britain.
The King sent a letter to his former crew mates on the morning of his Coronation to thank them for their professionalism, good humor and the “strong bonds” they forged, it has emerged.
His Majesty wrote to all the individuals who served under him when he was in command of the minesweeper HMS Bronington almost 50 years ago.
The King was in charge of the vessel between Feb 9 1976 and Dec 15 1976. The boat was decommissioned in 1988 and was one of the last wood-walled naval vessels, with a hull made of mahogany. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s coronation anthem will be heard in Sunday services across the country this weekend as the sheet music has been sent to thousands of churches.
The theater impresario’s song, Make A Joyful Noise, was performed publicly for the first time as the King was enthroned on Saturday.
Following the ceremony, the music was distributed to 6,000 churches to allow them the chance to perform it during their own services on Sunday and over the coming weeks.
During the coronation, the opening and closing fanfare of the piece was played by the fanfare trumpeters of the Royal Air Force – while the chorus was sung by The Choir of Westminster Abbey.
