Celebrations took place across the Commonwealth realms and a commemorative medal was issued . It was the first British coronation to be televised ; television cameras had not been allowed inside the abbey during her father 's coronation in 1937 . Elizabeth 's was the fourth and last British coronation of the 20th century . It was estimated to have cost £ 1.57 million ( c. £ 43,427,400 in 2019 ) The one-day ceremony took 14 months of preparation : the first meeting of the Coronation Commission was in April 1952 , under the chairmanship of the Queen 's husband , Philip , Duke of Edinburgh . Other committees were also formed , such as the Coronation Joint Committee and the Coronation Executive Committee , both chaired by the Duke of Norfolk who , by convention as Earl Marshal , had overall responsibility for the event . Many physical preparations and decorations along the route were the responsibility of David Eccles , Minister of Works . Eccles described his role and that of the Earl Marshal : " The Earl Marshal is the producer – I am the stage manager ... " The committees involved high commissioners from other Commonwealth realms , reflecting the international nature of the coronation ; however , officials from other Commonwealth realms declined invitations to participate in the event because the governments of those countries considered the ceremony to be a religious rite unique to Britain . As Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent said at the time : " In my view the Coronation is the official enthronement of the Sovereign as Sovereign of the UK . We are happy to attend and witness the Coronation of the Sovereign of the UK but we are not direct participants in that function . " The Coronation Commission announced in June 1952 that the coronation would take place on 2 June 1953
commemorative medal
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
Coronation of Elizabeth II