At the Oxford Literary Festival, penny mordaunt disclosed an unexpected, lightly scathing reaction from within the Royal household after her role at the Coronation — a letter that began, “How kind of the King and Queen to come to your event. ” The remark followed a moment that made her an international talking point: she carried a 4ft 17th-century Sword of State into Westminster Abbey, the first woman to do so, and held the piece aloft for more than an hour.
Penny Mordaunt’s Coronation moment: what was seen and why it resonated
The image of a woman in a teal blue dress and matching cape bearing the Sword of State became a focal point of the Coronation. The sword she carried is described as a 17th-century ceremonial piece; she practised beforehand with a weighted 7lb 5oz replica originally made for Charles II. Those details underline the physical and symbolic demands of the role she performed as Lord President of the Privy Council, a position she assumed on September 6, 2022, two days before Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
That combination of novelty and ceremony amplified public attention. penny mordaunt said the event changed her profile globally and generated thousands of letters — a volume she punctuated with self-deprecating humour: “I had thousands of letters sent to me after that event – actually, more letters than I got votes at any election. ” The visible strain of ceremonial duty, the rarity of a woman performing the task, and deliberate wardrobe choices all fed the narrative that day.
Why this matters now: the letter, representation and the Coronation’s ripple effects
The specific letter from a member of the Royal family — opening with the line “How kind of the King and Queen to come to your event” — reframed public discussion by suggesting a wry, insider response to the attention she received. penny mordaunt declined to name the correspondent when recounting the anecdote, but the exchange is consequential because it came after a state ceremony intended to showcase continuity and representation.
Her account raises questions about how ceremonial roles are curated and perceived. She has argued that the King was intent on making aspects of his reign representative, and that her gender was a factor in preserving the Lord President role in the Coronation framework. That assertion feeds into broader debates about institutional modernization, the optics of protocol, and who becomes the face of national ritual.
Expert perspectives and the human dimension: quotes from the participant
Dame Penny Mordaunt, former Lord President of the Privy Council, reflected on the aftermath in public remarks: “I was clearly the lightning rod on the day for attention. Very embarrassing. ” She also recounts the awkward royal note: “One letter in particular was very embarrassing. It was from a member of the Royal family and it started, ‘How kind of the King and Queen to come to your event’. ” Those lines, spoken at a festival and expanded in her co-authored work Pomp and Circumstance, frame both personal impact and institutional messaging around coronations.
Her description of training — including press-ups and practice with a weighted replica — gives a tangible sense of the preparation behind a ceremonial performance. The Coronation in 2023, the earlier accession responsibilities she carried out at the Accession Council, and the decision to televise parts of the process all combined to magnify scrutiny and to shift the usual political mailbox toward expressions about the ceremony rather than constituency issues.
Regional and global impact: ceremony as soft power and personal profile
The Coronation’s visual elements and its singular moments have a reach beyond domestic newspapers. penny mordaunt observed that the event affected her internationally, elevating a ceremonial act into a form of soft power: it prompted commentary from political figures across parties and attention from cultural commentators. Her subsequent book explores coronations and national ceremonies worldwide, situating the episode within comparative traditions and public memory.
At the domestic level, the anecdote about the royal letter highlights how informal exchanges within institutions can shape public narratives. Internationally, the image of the first woman in that particular role at a high-profile ceremony contributes to conversations about representation in state rituals across different monarchies and republics.
As penny mordaunt frames it — with a mix of bemusement and reflection — the episode prompts a forward question: will this blend of personal visibility and ceremonial innovation change how future coronations assign and present roles, or will it remain a striking footnote in one public career?
