In accordance with George's lavish personal tastes, the coronation was the most extravagant ever staged and a number of the traditional elements of the ceremonial were conducted for the last time.

[3] The ceremony was originally planned for 1 August 1820; however, on 5 June, George's estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick, unexpectedly returned to England from the continent to claim her right to be crowned as queen.

However, since the holder of that hereditary post, the Duke of Norfolk was a Catholic and therefore excluded, he was obliged to appoint a Deputy, his Anglican brother, Lord Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard, to fulfil his role.

[13] In accordance with the vogue for Romanticism and with his own taste for flamboyant clothes, George insisted that the participants should dress in Tudor and Stuart period costumes.

Peers were expected to provide their own clothing and a display of the required styles was staged at the College of Arms in June 1820 for the benefit of their lordships' tailors.

The resulting outfits on the day, according to one report, "produced much amusement among the ladies"; but Sir Walter Scott enthused over the "gay and gorgeous and antique dress which floated before the eye".

At 6 am, her carriage arrived at Westminster Hall and was received with applause from a sympathetic section of the crowd and "anxious agitation" by the soldiers and officials supervising the door, which after some confusion was closed.

Their attempt to find another entrance was blocked by a line of armed soldiers, so they then made for the House of Lords, which was connected to the hall, but when she was denied entry there too, the Queen returned to her carriage.

The carriages of the various participants started to arrive at 1 am and by 6 am the nearby streets had been brought to a standstill, so that many peers had to abandon their coaches and walk to the abbey through the crowds.

[21] Included in this number was a military band and the choir who repeatedly sang the anthem O Lord, grant the King a long life by William Child, interspersed with drumming and trumpet fanfares.

[24] The sermon was preached by the Archbishop of York, Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, on a text taken from the Book of Samuel; "he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God".

"[26] At the end of the ceremony, the recessional was marred by the premature departure of the choir, so that the King had to pass empty benches covered in litter, described in the press as "a most unpicturesque arrangement".

[27] The music used in the coronation service seems to have been influenced by George's wishes; some of it was changed by the King when he attended the final rehearsal only three days before the event.

By tradition, the monarch's entry into the abbey is greeted by the anthem I was glad; however, this was deferred until the King had reached the quire and was sung to a new setting by Thomas Attwood.

[34] The hall was lit by 2,000 candles in 26 vast chandeliers, but due to the heat of the day, the peers and peeresses below were continually being hit by large globules of melted wax.

An unfortunate incident occurred when the Lord High Steward, Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, was required to dismount and uncover the first dish on the royal table; he had lost his leg at the Battle of Waterloo and because he was wearing a prosthetic leg designed for riding, was unable to dismount without considerable difficulty and the assistance of several pages, which caused much amusement amongst the unsympathetic guests.

The choir then sang Non nobis Domine, perhaps because it appears in William Shakespeare's play Henry V after the Battle of Agincourt as an echo of George's perceived victory over Napoleon.

[42] Elsewhere a better-natured crowd watched the ascent of a gas balloon from Green Park piloted by Charles Green, and then proceeded to Hyde Park where there was a boat race and in the evening, the trees and The Serpentine were illuminated with lanterns[43] and a firework display was organised by Sir William Congreve,[44] Contemporary writers describe "an immense concourse of persons"[45] and "unexampled crowds",[46] although a later account describes the display as being "very insignificant and did not attract much attention".

[48] Elsewhere, civic efforts at public celebrations were often marred by dislike of George and support for Caroline; in Bristol, a corporate pageant was watched by sullen crowds as it "passed through the streets with all the silent dullness of a funeral procession".

[49] In Liverpool, the corporation postponed the opening of Prince's Dock until coronation day, thereby successfully avoiding anti-monarchist demonstrations, while in Manchester, the crowds cheered for the King until the free beer ran out, when they began to sing "God save the Queen".