Penny Mordaunt has revealed that a royal family member suggested she “stole the show” from new monarchs King Charles and Queen Camilla at their coronation in 2023.
The former conservative MP, 53, famously carried the 4ft, 8lb Sword of State into Westminster Abbey for more than an hour before presenting it to the new King.
Wearing a teal cape dress by Safiyaa intricately embroidered with the golden fern motif of the Privy Council and a matching hat, Penny found herself becoming a social media sensation after the ceremony – and royal watchers couldn’t stop talking about the glamorous appearance.
Nearly three years later, Penny has revealed she received a letter from a member of the royal family after the spectacular display, though she did not specify who it was from.
Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival, she said: “I was clearly the lightning rod on the day for attention. Very embarrassing. I had thousands of letters sent to me after that event – actually, more letters than I got votes at any election.
King Charles’s coronation in 60 seconds
“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’.”
Preparing for the historic moment
Penny carried the sword in her role as Lord President of the Privy Council – the first time a woman has held the role. The ex-politician added that she believed she was selected by the King because she was a woman, as Charles wanted his coronation to feel “relevant today” with “the whole of Britain represented”.
Crediting the coronation with “changing her life”, she added: “Normally, if you’re a politician, the first thing people say to you is that there aren’t enough dog poo bins or whatever issue they want to raise with you. [Now] usually the first thing they mention is the Coronation.”
© GettyPenny Mordaunt was the first female Lord President of the Council
Penny previously shared how she got through the long ceremony – and it had nothing to do with training in the gym. “I did take a couple of painkillers beforehand just to make sure I was going to be all right,” Penny admitted on the Political Thinking podcast, before adding she was “not in the gym for six months” before the event.
Sharing how she prepared for the historic event, Penny added: “I think it’s practice, like anything you’re preparing for, don’t leave anything to chance. Have a good breakfast, wear comfortable shoes.”
Penny explained the intricacies of holding the sword, sharing: “It has to be carried at right angles to the body, pointing upwards, out in front of you, for some time,” she said. “We practiced with some replicas that were weighted, and it [was] a huge honour to do it.”
Why was carrying the sword so significant?
Penny was tasked with carrying out an ancient custom in which 100 newly-minted 50p pieces featuring an effigy of the crowned King are exchanged for the Jewelled Sword of Offering, also known as the sword of state.
© GettyPenny Mordaunt holding the Jewelled Sword of Offering as she walks in front of King Charles
The shiny sword is densely studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, and was designed by George IV, who used it in his own coronation ceremony in 1821.
Symbolic of the King’s power and Knightly virtues, according to the Royal Collections website, the Jewelled Sword of Offering “should be used for the protection of good and the punishment of evil.”