20 Coronations That Went Horribly Wrong

William’s coronation at Westminster Abbey in 1066 turned into a full-blown panic when the cheers from inside were mistaken for an attack from outside, and soldiers set fire to nearby buildings. People fled, the ceremony was abandoned, and the day that was meant to herald stability was ultimately marked by fear.

The coronation of Richard the Lionheart in 1189 immediately sparked anti-Jewish violence—a brutality that tarnished his reign even before it had truly begun. It is difficult to present a sacred anointing as a divine favor when the streets already show just how quickly the crowd can turn against you.

Henry III was crowned as a child in 1216 with a substitute crown, since the royal treasury had been lost during King John’s last chaotic campaign—a detail that reads like a medieval satire. Even as the ceremony took place, the fact that he wore a substitute crown served as a public reminder that the kingdom was operating on emergency resources.

Richard II was only ten years old at the time of his coronation in 1377, and the organizers apparently decided to test the endurance of a child in his own right with an endurance test disguised as a ritual. By the end, he was so exhausted that he had to be carried to his bed—not exactly the image one would want to convey of a monarch who was supposed to be supported by God.

Ivan IV’s coronation in 1547 made him the first tsar of all Russia, a solemn declaration that should have resounded like a drumroll. Then, a few months later, Moscow was ravaged by a massive fire and the ensuing unrest, which claimed thousands of lives and led the city to blame those close to the throne.

The coronation of Charles I was accompanied by a series of unsettling events that send shivers down historians’ spines: an earthquake during the ceremony and the deterioration of a piece of the royal regalia—which, in a way, amounted to a real-time warning from the universe. It was the kind of day that made everyone pretend not to notice the bad omens, while mentally noting them down to remember later.

The coronation of Charles II in 1661 took place after the abolition and subsequent restoration of the monarchy. Even the regalia had to be remade, as the old royal insignia had been destroyed. Beginning a reign with newly made crowns and regalia is symbolic in a way that no one truly appreciates, as it clearly shows that continuity has already been broken once.

At the coronation of James II, the crown did not stay in place properly, which might seem like a mere fashion mishap—until one imagines a newly crowned king trying not to move his head. When the central element of the entire ritual seems on the verge of rolling away, the ceremony begins to resemble less a matter of destiny than a burlesque farce.

George I arrived from Hanover with a huge language barrier, so much so that the Mass celebrated in Latin became the diplomatic means of preventing embarrassment from spreading everywhere. It is difficult to feel connected to a new monarch when the shared experience is that no one understands what is being said.

The organizers of George III’s coronation forgot essential items such as the state sword, and even the chairs and canopies—which, in the context of a coronation, is akin to forgetting the wedding rings at a wedding. The ceremony went ahead nonetheless, but the commotion behind the scenes clearly shows that such pomp and circumstance often relies on frantic improvisation.

Napoleon’s coronation in 1804 is famous because he crowned himself, thereby transforming a religious ceremony into a display of public power. It served as a theatrical performance, but it also sent an unequivocal message: this crown is first and foremost the result of ambition, and only secondarily of tradition.

The coronation of George IV in 1821 was marked by unpleasant personal and political events, notably the fact that his wife, from whom he was separated, was excluded from the ceremony. He himself later described that day as an ordeal—not exactly the kind of comment one wishes to hear from the man wearing the crown.

Victoria’s coronation in 1838 was marked by a series of awkward mishaps that seem almost modern: an elderly peer fell down the stairs, and the coronation ring was forced onto the wrong finger, causing her such pain that she subsequently had trouble removing it. Add to that a flustered bishop who prematurely signaled the end of the ceremony, and the whole thing starts to look like a dress rehearsal that accidentally went down in history.

The celebrations marking the coronation of Nicholas II were followed by the Khodynka tragedy, a catastrophic stampede that occurred during a public festival held to celebrate the new reign. More than a thousand people lost their lives, and this event became a dark stain that never left him.

The coronation of Edward VII was disrupted when he developed appendicitis a few days before the scheduled ceremony, causing it to be postponed and reminding everyone that the human body pays little heed to schedules. When the ceremony finally took place, the elderly archbishop still managed to place the crown on the wrong way—a detail that remains etched in people’s memories because it is both absurd and deeply human.

Shah Shuja’s return to the Afghan throne in 1839 was closely linked to British intervention, which meant that the ceremony could not escape the shadow of foreign power. He was assassinated a few years later, turning the coronation into a moment of brilliance that, in hindsight, seems more like a warning sign than a new beginning.

Edward VIII’s coronation never took place, because his abdication occurred beforehand and threw the entire plan into disarray. A coronation that never happens leaves behind a unique sense of humiliation—one that, overnight, transforms royal certainty into a footnote in history.

George VI inherited a crown marked by crisis, and the ceremony itself nearly added a physical disaster to the symbolism when an official stumbled and nearly sent the crown flying. Even when the crown remains on the right head, the tension of a last-minute change of monarch tends to linger in every awkward moment.

Bokassa’s coronation in 1977 in the Central African Empire was a lavish spectacle at an exorbitant cost, widely condemned because the government spent money it did not have. The ceremony was intended to create an impression of grandeur, but instead it served to reinforce the image of a leader playing at being an emperor under the incredulous gaze of the entire world.

Edward V’s coronation never took place, as the 12-year-old king was taken to the Tower of London in 1483 while preparations were underway, and then abruptly disappeared along with his younger brother. Parliament declared him illegitimate, his uncle took the throne as Richard III, and the disappearance of the two boys became one of the most infamous royal mysteries in English history. It is hard to imagine a more ill-fated coronation than one that ended in a disappearance before the crown had even touched the sovereign’s head.