Toilet paper was stolen from Queen’s coronation

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave from Buckingham Palace balcony
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to the public from the Buckingham Palace balcony after her coronation on 2 June 1953
(Image credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Toilet paper was stolen from Westminster Abbey the night before Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation, archives have revealed. A book outlining the detailed planning and preparation that went into the 1953 ceremony, states: “It was found, early on Coronation day, that much of the lavatory paper had been removed.” The document also says that “in future it will be necessary to take special steps to prevent this”, which, noted The Telegraph, “calms any fears of similar incidents at next week’s Coronation of King Charles”.

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  Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.