JOHN, 1st Baron Rolle, must have believed in nominative determinism. So roll he did, true to his name, and at the least appropriate moment—during the coronation of Queen Victoria. The elderly peer might have been relieved to discover that his mighty tumble was hardly the only blunder to take place at a coronation. Britain is great at pageantry, but its ultimate, most meticulously planned ceremony has so often been riddled with mishaps that they have almost become a tradition in their own right.
It all started with William the Conqueror and a misunderstanding. It was Christmas Day in 1066 and the King was about to be crowned. Asked whether William should take the crown of England, Norman and Anglo-Saxon notables roared their assent in their respective languages—but the soldiers stationed outside Westminster Abbey took the din for a sign of English betrayal and set fire to some houses nearby. A tumult ensued and many involved in the service fled. Only a handful of ecclesiastical officials kept their cool as Ealdred, the Archbishop of York, crowned a fearful William amid the flames.
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