Moments on Coronation day ... part three

It is not normally a requirement that politicians should be skilled with swords, not would I want it to be.

However, a coronation is not a normal event - this is the first one in my lifetime - and the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, Penny Mordaunt MP, acted as sword bearer for the coronation, carrying in the Sword of state and later presenting the King with the "Sword of offering" after redeeming it during the ceremony.

 











I have seen some arguments on Twitter about how heavy the swords which Penny Mordaunt was carrying at various points in the ceremony are.

According to the Politicos website the Sword of State which she initially carried is four feet long and weighs eight pounds. Later in the ceremony she had to carry the less heavy, but by no means feather-weight "Sword of Offering," of which the National World news website says "The exact weight of the blade is not known but it contains a large number of diamonds and other precious stones. It is not for the faint of heart to attempt to carry."



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