Happy birthday Penny Mordaunt! How the Conservative politician stole attention away from King Charles but earned huge praise from a royal for it

As the world tuned in to watch the King’s Coronation in May 2023, you would expect Charles to be the centre of attention, or perhaps Queen Camilla. 

But it was a former Conservative politician dressed in an elegant teal gown while carrying an 8lb ceremonial sword for more than an hour who truly stole the show.

Penny Mordaunt, 52, became the first woman to carry and present two of the four steels used in the ceremony, symbolising ‘royal power and the King accepting his duty and knightly virtues’, according to the BBC.

As leader of the House of Commons and lord president of the council, Ms Mordaunt was expected to carry the 17th century Sword of State into Westminster Abbey before exchanging it for the Jewelled Sword of Offering – a practice which dates back to the coronation of Richard the Lionheart in 1189.

She carried this diamond, ruby and emerald encrusted sword for the rest of the service, walking with it in front of the newly crowned King as he left the abbey.

Dressed in a custom-made deep blue, knee length dress with a matching cape and headband with gold embellishments from London-based label Safiyaa, Mordaunt completed her physically demanding role with poise, earning praise from across the political spectrum.

Labour MP Emily Thornberry tweeted, ‘Penny Mordaunt looks damn fine! The sword-bearer steals the show,’ while Tony Blair’s former spokesman Alastair Campbell wrote: ‘Don’t let anyone ever say I never say anything positive about the Tories… I am in awe of @PennyMordaunt arm and shoulder strength.’

And, it seems one member of the Royal Family was particularly impressed with her performance, taking the time to write her a congratulatory letter after the Coronation.

The former politician presents the Sword of State to King Charles during the ceremony

Ms Mordaunt walks in front of King Charles while holding the sword

‘It was a huge privilege to be a part of it but it was a little embarrassing, the sort of attention,’ the former cabinet minister told hosts Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman on Sky News podcast Electoral Dysfunction.

‘I got loads of lovely letters after it,’ she continued. ‘One of them was from a member of the Royal Family.

‘It was a very lovely letter thanking me for my efforts but it started: “How kind of the king and queen to come to your event this afternoon.’

All of the women burst into laughter as Ms Mordaunt added that the ‘unsung heroes’ were actually the men standing behind her with ‘slightly lighter swords’.

She said: ‘If you went into the abbey, you had this wonderful scent of flowers. It was an amazing atmosphere until you got to our corner when the flowers sort of faded and there was this waft of Voltarol as we were all trying to, you know, keep ourselves going throughout it all.’

As well as liberally applying the pain relief gel, Ms Mordaunt later admitted to taking painkillers before her impressive display of stamina.

‘I did take a couple of painkillers before just to make sure I was going to be all right,’ she told Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast.

While making an appearance on ITV’s This Morning, Ms Mordaunt chuckled as presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary tried their hand at carrying the sword. 

As Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, Ms Mordaunt walks in front of the newly crowned King with the Jewelled Sword of Offering

She is dressed in a custom-made deep blue, knee length dress with a matching cape and headband with gold embellishments from London-based label Safiyaa

Ms Mordaunt bows her head as Queen Camilla departs Westminster Abbey

The former cabinet minister told hosts Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman on Sky News podcast Electoral Dysfunction that she received a letter for a member of the Royal Family

Ms Hammond said: ‘It’s really heavy, I can feel it straight away, on the shoulders and in the body. You can feel it in your body.’

And O’Leary added: ‘Penny Mordaunt, you must have been doing a bit of training for that, feeling the burn already. Good stuff.’ 

Ms Mordaunt’s navy career also came into play as she was able to stand for over an hour without fainting by ‘wriggling her toes’ to keep the circulation going.

She also made sure to complete rigorous strength training at the gym, practicing push-ups to be able to hold the 8lb sword at a right angle to her body.

Ms Mordaunt, who later lost her Portsmouth North seat to Labour’s Amanda Martin in the 2024 General Election, also used weighted replicas of the sword to practise carrying it for the necessary period of time.

She said her experience as a Royal Navy Reservist helped her prepare for the physical feat of the big day.

But her gruelling practice paid off, with Money Saving Expert’s Martin Lewis writing: ‘Is Penny Mordant the new Pippa Middleton? She has stolen the show!’

And Labour MP Chris Bryant quipped: ‘The Penny is mightier than the sword.’ 

Ms Mordaunt, who lost her Portsmouth North seat to Labour’s Amanda Martin in the 2024 General Election, arrives at Westminster Abbey 

Her teal ensemble later went on display in the Speaker’s House at the House of Commons

Ms Mordaunt’s scene-stealing teal ensemble later went on display in the Speaker’s House at the House of Commons, before she sold it with the proceeds going to fund projects in her Portsmouth constituency.

The hand embroidered gold ferns across the shoulders of the cape and hat referenced the traditional Privy Council uniform, as well as paying homage to her coastal constituency, Portsmouth North. 

Speaking to The Sunday Times, she said: ‘I can never wear it again – unless I’m going to a fancy dress party as myself!

‘It struck me it ought to do some good. It’s such an iconic dress that it ought to go on and do some other good things.’