Coronation of the British monarch A monarch, however, accedes to the throne the moment their predecessor dies, not when they are crowned. i.e. "The King is dead. Long live the King." The Anglo-Saxon monarchs used various locations for their coronations, including Bath, Kingston upon Thames, London, and Winchester. The last Anglo-Saxon monarch, Harold II, was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1066; the location was preserved for all future coronations. When London was under the control of rebels, Henry III was crowned at Gloucester in 1216; he later chose to have a second coronation at Westminster in 1220. Two hundred years later, Henry VI also had
Mnemonic verses of monarchs in England Mnemonic verses of monarchs in England A mnemonic verse listing the monarchs ruling in England since William the Conqueror was traditionally used by English schoolchildren in the era when rote learning formed a major part of the curriculum. The verse omits mentioning any pre-Conquest Saxon kings. The main part of the verse is largely constant, but the stanza from the 20th century has a number of variations. Alan Bennett's staging of the verse in "Forty Years On" works around the issue by stopping at Victoria. The 1991 film "King Ralph" included a brief section of the mnemonic. As the Houses