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 It's been a month since the Jubilee celebrations at the start of June when some of the ACW were away celebrating our own 50th anniversary. Although all these celebrations are over, I would like to draw your attention to a very special book - Our Faithful Queen: 70 years of faith and service by Catherine Butcher and published by HOPE Together. The book centres on the Christian faith of the Queen and how important it is to her and how it has sustained her through her long reign. The book is intended to be distributed widely through churches and communities, especially to those who never go to church. Most of us love the Queen and recognise her faith, even if we don't love and admire other members of the royal family. I have found it an inspiring read and an insight into the faith and beliefs of our Queen. It particularly centres on the coronation and the vows, verses and prayers behind it. 

It was even more exciting to discover that my trip to Windsor Castle this last weekend (9July), booked months ago, now included a special Jubilee exhibition - the icing on the cake. Not only could we see some of the precious jewels and brooches of the Queen's but the actual detail of the coronation gown. 


I tried to persuade them to let me take some photographs of the minute details for this blog but unfortunately, all the persuading of my friend and I was of no avail, the answer was still 'no'. It is only when you are able to view pieces of the actual material with the pearls and embroidery sewn on to the dress, that you realise just how heavy the dress must have been to wear, not to mention the crown too! And the Queen is rather small. She looked magnificent in all the images of the day but was perhaps extremely uncomfortable nonetheless. It is a credit to her professionalism and service that she kept smiling through it all.

In conclusion, I recommend a trip to Windsor Castle to see the gown close up for yourself. The exhibition is only on from 7 July - 26 September. But, if you can't manage that do get a copy of Catherine Butcher's book 'Our Faithful Queen' which is full of great photographs and details about the Queen, the Coronation, and most importantly, her faith in God.  

Comments

  1. Rosemary Johnson12 July 2022 at 11:27

    Hope you enjoyed your time at Windsor Castle, Sheila. We went last summer. No special Jubilee celebration for us, sadly.

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  2. Anonymous12 July 2022 at 13:41

    What a lovely bonus. I was fortunate to be able to go to the Coronation Exhibition at Buckingham Palace in 2013. The costumes were the highlight for me. https://suestrifles.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/my-excitement-led-to-action/

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  3. Sheila Johnson12 July 2022 at 13:45

    Thankfully, I have been able to replace the image of the book with a better one and have discovered the special offer on it at the moment too.

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  4. Wendy H. Jones12 July 2022 at 22:31

    What a fabulous opportunity. Thank you for sharing.

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  5. Olusola Sophia Anyanwu13 July 2022 at 00:14

    Thank you so much Sheia. Many would never have imagined how uncomfortable the Queen was in her outfit and crown on the day! Thanks for the info on the book and dates to Windsor Castle.. Should be able to make it one of these weekends considering I have never been there. Blessings!

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  6. Fran Hill13 July 2022 at 10:59

    It had never occurred to me that her dress would have been so heavy. I know I've heard her talk about the crown itself and how heavy that is but with the dress as well - the responsibilities of monarchy weigh heavy, in all kinds of ways metaphorical and physical.

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    Replies
    1. Sheila Johnson13 July 2022 at 11:20

      Thanks, Fran and Sophia. Hope you are able to go for yourselves.

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    2. SC Skillman14 July 2022 at 10:38

      Yes, the queen is astonishing: dignified faithful and unswerving. Her faith through the years is such an inspiration: in every Christmas message she bears witness to that faith in a simple authentic way, without a trace of 'the language of Zion.' We have all been hugely blessed with the reign of Elizabeth II.

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