What were you doing when the Princess Elizabeth became Queen.

I was in my early teens and have vague memories of listening on the radio to the Coronation.
My family was never strongly royalist, but not anti. I don't think we had any celebrations We lived in an upstairs flat, with a cosy coal fire.

My parents hadn’t married yet

I was nearly 6 when the king died but I do remember our curtains were closed in the sitting room. When I asked mum why they were closed she said the king had died and she was showing respect by keeping them closed. At school we had a special assembly where it announced to all the pupils we had a new Queen as the king had died, We went back to our classrooms in silence and not allowed out to play as the country and commonwealth were in mourning. I knew what it meant as my granddad had died in 1950 and recalled the word mourning and felt really sad that the Queen and her sister would probably be crying .

I had two small children and living in a small top floor flat with no bathroom.
I remember the funeral of her grandfather George fifth and I have hated the sound of bagpipes ever since.

I was 4 and because it was raining I was allowed to ride the small tricycle I'd had for Christmas up and down the hall. I remember my Mum ssshing me and telling me to be quiet while she listened to the radio and it was the announcement about the King dying.

I was 6 and at Allendale School in Northumberland. I remember the Headmaster coming in to announce that the King had died. The school had 3 classes, Infants, Juniors and Seniors!

My mum was 5 months old and my dad was almost 3yrs old, so I can't even say I was a twinkle in daddy's eye

I was a twinkle in my father's eye.

I was 6 and living in the US. My mom bought my sister and I a beautiful full colour book about the Coronation.

I’m actually feeling quite young for a change although I’ve only read the first few posts yet. I was ten when I actually watched the Coronation of our new Queen on my new best friend’s grandparents’ television. I didn’t know them at all and think that I’d probably been invited just to keep her company as her parents who were teachers and Grandparents watched.

I can remember King George the Sixth’s death more clearly really. It was before we moved (when I changed schools) and I can remember the whole school being called into the assembly hall which was highly unusual and when the King’s death was announced there was a collective gasp/moan from all the seniors I can still remember the sound now.

I suppose my parents listened on the wireless. I know we got ( or maybe rented ) a television soon afterwards. As did many others. Of course none of it was seen in glorious colour until it was shown on the cinema News programme.

Sorry if I’ve repeated other peoples posts, I had to stop in the middle of posting but now I’m going to catch up and enjoy everyone else’s memories.

I can’t remember actually being told he had died, but remember going to school wearing a black ribbon in my hair, presumably during the mourning period or on the day of his funeral. I was 7 and always wore a ribbon in my hair.
The following year in June, was much more fun, fancy dress and a street party!

I wasn't born until coronation year and I missed that as well.

I don't think my parents had even met by then, let alone married and had me . I was born on June 2nd though (several years later) which was the Coronation day.

I was 7 and remember fetching The Times newspaper from the door mat and asking my parents why it had thick, black edges to the pages. I didn't know much about the King.

I wonder if The Times will do the same when the Qeen dies.

I remember somethings. I had just turned 9 the previous December and the old King died on February 6th. My own Nana took a stroke the following Sunday which she died of. So 1952 was a sad year family wise. My mother bought a T.V. for the coronation. It was so small it actually had a Magnifying Glass over the screen!!! and yes class mates came to watch. We didn't have a street party. The queen came to Edinburgh and as a class, we went to see her. I was SO disappointed as she was wearing a Pink outfit NOT a fancy pretty dress with a crown as I was expecting!

I was 15 and at grammar school. Our lesson was interrupted and we were told to assemble in the main hall.There, the headmistress, Miss Sames, told us that the King had died and that we now had a new Queen, Elizabeth 11. We were then told to go home early, showing respect in our behaviour.

I was minus 3 months old at the time so I knew nothing about it.

I was dix years old and living in a small village in Lincolnshire My parents bought a TV to watch the coronation and loads of neighbours arrived to watch it. We sat all day, crowded in our small living room, with the curtains closed. Mum was brewing endless cups of tea

I was 9 and at junior school. Our class was in the school hall taking part in the BBC schools broadcast programme "Music and Movement." (I think that's what it was called.) The broadcast was interrupted to announce the King's death. The programme was stopped and solemn music was played. Don't think the teachers quite knew what to do next and we were taken back to the classroom until lunchtime.

My mother was resting in bed, awaiting giving birth to me on the 11th, and no one told her the king had died as they didn't want to upset her. She was staying at my grandmother's house in Liverpool and when there was two minutes silence and absolutely everything stopped, the tugs on the Mersey stopped tooting, the trams and trolley buses stopped rumbling on Stanley Road (they lived on a corner of that busy road), people stopped talking, everything was silent, she had no idea what was happening and she was totally petrified!

When she became queen I was on a date with a new boyfriend.
On the day she was crowned I met the man who was to be my husband.

I have a memory of being at home with my sister and brother and my Mum was cleaning the stairs. I can see her back view now as she came down wiping each stair and she broke the news that the King had died. I can remember a sense of sad occasion, but that's all, I do remember the coronation and a party in the local school or somewhere and my Mum going up on stage when they asked for someone to play the piano and everyone singing How much is that Doggy in the Window. She played others for a sing song. She could play anything by ear. I can remember the Queen and the Duke coming to where we lived in London and watching them waving from an open topped car. The people pulled us through to the front so we could see and we had a flag to wave.

I'm feeling old too! I was 6 years old later that month.

I remember the funeral of George VI. I was 8 years old. At my primary school we were taken to a room we didn't usually go into. In the room was a televison - I'd never seen one before. We sat cross-legged on the floor in the darkened room and watched black and white pictures on a tiny screen. A gun carriage draped in a flag carried the coffin through the streets of London. We understood that it was a serious and important day.

I was just a month old. We were living in a rented house and moved in March to our own house which was the family home for the next 30 yrs.