Princess Elizabeth succeeded as Sovereign on the death of King George VI on 6 February 1952 and planning for the coronation began soon after. The date of Tuesday 2 June 1953 was selected, and the subsequent decision to televise the ceremony allowed unprecedented numbers of people to see the new Sovereign being crowned. Beaton’s portrait shows The Queen wearing the Imperial State Crown and holding the sceptre and orb, against the backdrop of Westminster Abbey.