Coronation of William IV at Westminster Abbey

Background. William IV succeeded his brother George IV on 26 June 1830. Wellington's Tories won a plurality but continuing divisions on the reform issue led to the loss of a vote of confidence on 15 November 1830. Wellington resigned, and on 22 November Earl Grey formed the Whig administration. When the First Reform Bill was defeated in the House of Commons in 1831, Grey's ministry urged William to dissolve Parliament.

Ceremony. The ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey, an Anglican church in London. The King and Queen traveled to and from the Abbey in the Gold State Coach, which had been made for George III in 1762. A public procession through the streets from St James's Palace preceded the service, and the royal couple returned to the palace later as part of a second procession.

Political Context. The coronation came during the crisis over the First Reform Bill, which had been defeated in the House of Commons in 1831, prompting Grey's ministry to urge William to dissolve Parliament. The crisis saw a brief interlude for the celebration of the King's coronation on 8 September 1831. After the House of Lords rejected the Second Reform Bill in October 1831, agitation for reform grew across the country, with demonstrations turning violent in the so-called Reform Riots.