Breakout Star from King Charles' Coronation Reveals She Received an 'Embarassing' Letter from a Royal

Meredith KileWed, April 1, 2026 at 6:57 PM UTC

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King Charles and Penny MourdantCredit: Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty -

Penny Mordaunt went viral during King Charles' 2023 coronation ceremony

As Lord President of the Privy Council at the time, she was tasked with carrying the ceremonial Sword of State for the duration of the service

After attracting attention for her role, Mordaunt revealed she even received a letter from an unnamed member of the royal family about the event

Penny Mordaunt became a viral sensation during King Charles' 2023 coronation, even attracting the attention of members of the royal family.

The former Lord President of the Privy Council spoke at the Oxford Literary Festival last week, where she opened up about having all eyes on her as she processed into Westminster Abbey ahead of King Charles and Queen Camilla while carrying the Sword of State.

Wearing a teal Safiyaa dress and cape with a striking gold-leaf detail and matching headband, Mordaunt attracted plenty of attention online for her role, which included holding the eight-pound ceremonial sword for most of the hour-long ceremony before swapping it out for the lighter Jewelled Sword of Offering.

"I was clearly the lightning rod on the day for attention. Very embarrassing," Mordaunt, 53, told the Oxford audience. "I had thousands of letters sent to me after that event — actually, more letters than I got votes at any election."

"One letter in particular was very embarrassing. It was from a member of the royal family, and it started, 'How kind of the King and Queen to come to your event,' " she added, although she didn't reveal which royal penned the note.

Penny Mordaunt leads King Charles out of Westminster Abbey during his coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023Credit: Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty

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Mordaunt didn't expect to make history as the first woman to present the Sword of State during a coronation ceremony. She became Lord President of the Privy Council when Prime Minister Liz Truss took office, which happened just two days before the death of Queen Elizabeth.

Two days later, she helped lead the Accession Council to install Charles, now 77, as the monarch, and a few months after that, she would lead him into Westminster Abbey to be crowned.

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The Devon native admitted that her participation in the ceremony may have been symbolic of the King's desire for his coronation to be as inclusive as possible.

"I’m not sure necessarily that, if I was a bloke, whether the whole of the Lord President role would have been kept in," she shared.

King Charles is handed the Sword of State during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023Credit: Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty

Regardless, she told PEOPLE at the time that the role meant a lot to her.

"I was so honored to be part of the coronation along with thousands of others who played their part," Mordaunt said.

"I'm very aware that our armed forces, police officers and others have been marching or standing for hours as part of the ceremony or to keep us all safe. In comparison, my job was rather easier," the Royal Navy reservist added.

She also joked with the BBC's Political Thinking host Nick Robinson about her training regimen to carry the sword, laughing off rumors that she spent "six months" in the gym ahead of the coronation.

"You want to make sure you are in good nick, and I did take a couple of painkillers beforehand, just to make sure I was gonna be alright," the politician teased. "But it's fine, it's all good, we got through it. And it's only half the ceremony, I had to carry the Sword of State, which is the really heavy one, and then I traded it in for the very exquisite Jewelled Sword of Offering."

When asked for advice for any future sword bearers, Mordaunt recommended "practice," "a good breakfast" and "comfortable shoes" — though she did it in heels.

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