1953, a coronation fit for a king 1953
but it's a young queen
who is about to be crowned
And the crowd roars its approval
The fact that she's a woman attracts no comment
and she will go on to reign over us for six decades
But England's queens haven't always been greeted with such adoration
and throughout our history
women and power have made an uneasy combination
800 years earlier 800
another female heir to the throne came to Westminster for her coronation
She wasn't met by cheering crowds
Instead, she was chased away from the capital by an angry mob
Her name was Matilda
the first woman to make a claim to the English crown in her own right
But 800 years ago, power was inescapably male
There was no question in the medieval world
men ruled and women didn't