Coronation: poems

Product Information

The illustrated poems need to be in portrait format and no longer than one sheet for A4 paper or in an equivalent digital format. The Council is accepting entries until 12:00pm on Friday 21 April.

When the Queen has had the symbols of all the cares of being a Queen given her, those Regalia of which you will have read elsewhere, the Archbishop goes to the Altar and fetches the heavy glittering Crown of St. Edward which outshines all the diamonds in the Abbey, and he puts it reverently on her head. Then we all shout, “God save the Queen.” The Archbishop blesses her, the choir sings, and the Archbishop blesses us as we kneel, and she is led to the Throne. And through poetry comes the chance to reflect and create. Thomas Hardy’s poem The Coronation, written the year after George V’s 1910 Coronation, depicts the imagined conversation between past monarchs in the crypt of Westminster as they discuss the preparations above. This could serve as a stimulus for creative response, with students imagining the conversations of past and present participants in historical events. The crowd in the castle grounds cheeredat each mention of citiesand locations in the poem read out by Nesbitt, whose acting breakthrough in the romcom TV series Cold Feet led to further success on both the small and big screens.The concepts of kingship and the crown are not uncommon in literature. From Tolkien’s fantastical Kingdom of Gondor to Shakespeare’s representation of historical English monarchs, there is plenty of literary material to explore and debate. The coronation of King Charles III offers a rare insight into the non-fictional world of royal ascent and, for teachers, an opportunity to ground classroom activities in the experienced reality of current events. Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these Rules and agree to be bound by them when entering this competition. East Cambridgeshire District Council reserves the right to refuse any entry which does not comply with these rules. Entries are restricted to one entry per person. If you are under the age of 16, you must obtain permission from your parent/guardian before entering. East Cambridgeshire District Council does not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt. Here I must say how supremely well the Mistress of the Robes and the Dean carried out this delicate office. It must he difficult to make the robing of someone in public, even a Queen so dignified as ours, not look slightly ridiculous, but they managed to make it something beautiful and tender.

The formal investiture of King Charles III of his regal powers in a religious Coronation ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey is a significant event in the country’s history and could be used to frame reflections from students on significant events and places in their own history. Young people across East Cambridgeshire are being given the opportunity to write a poem to help celebrate King Charles III’s Coronation. Betjeman uses animals to make his point, and it’s not hard to see why this has become one of Betjeman’s most popular poems – it appeals to people of all ages, and even those who miss the satire. The winners will be announced on Wednesday 26 April and we will aim to have the winning entries turned into a book by the start of May. The late, great Poet Laureate John Betjeman was among the congregation when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953 — and he wrote about it for Country Life. We're very proud to reproduce that article now — The Queen's Coronation: In The Abbey by John Betjeman.She was truly a Queen, and had the strength to bear these ornaments of office. First, her Bishops and Clergy paid homage to her; then her Peers. At KS3, students could reflect on their own experiences and consider how the religious or the spiritual has enhanced their life or the life of a family member. They could do research about religious or spiritual elements in their lives or their family’s lives that means something to them. Once they have done this research, they could write their own poems about religion or spirituality." At all times, East Cambridgeshire District Council reserves the right in the event of circumstances arising outside of its control to cancel or change the competition at any stage.