The ‘warrior princess’ heroine with a bejewelled sword
Holding a 3.6kg weapon for nearly an hour was no sweat for the Commons leader, who left coronation watchers in awe of her strength.
After nearly an hour holding an 3.6kg sword, immediately next to the King and broadcast to millions, Penny Mordaunt did not break a sweat.
As lord president of the privy council it was her job to carry the 17th-century silver-gilt sword of state - part of the Crown Jewels - into Westminster Abbey. A stony-faced Mordaunt held the sword for 51 minutes straight.
During the service, social media was filled with posts about Mordaunt with some saying she was one of the stars of the show. Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell, tweeted: “Don’t let anyone ever say I never say anything positive about Tories . . . I am in awe of Penny Mordaunt’s arm and shoulder strength!”
Mordaunt, who is also leader of the House of Commons, told Matt Chorley on Times Radio that she had been doing press-ups and strength training and had practised with a weighted replica.
Andrea Leadsom, the former cabinet minister who is a close friend and helped run her leadership campaigns, said: “She is extremely determined and very committed to doing her best - and always with a smile on her face. It was no mean feat to hold that sword for so long and keep smiling. She wanted to make sure she did justice to the occasion.”
For the first part of the service, Mordaunt, 50, carried the sword in a scabbard, which features moulds of lions, unicorns and shamrocks, with a crimson red velvet covering - with a strap around her neck to take some of the weight. It was then exchanged for the jewelled sword of offering, which was made for George IV’s 1821 coronation and is encrusted with 2,141 diamonds, four rubies and 12 emeralds. After being blessed by the archbishop, it was presented to the King by Mordaunt, the first woman in history to do so. It was later “redeemed” by Mordaunt who carried it for the remainder of the service.
“She has gravitas,” said Laura Round, who was Mordaunt’s special adviser until 2019 and ran her Tory party leadership campaign last year. “She’s hard-working, disciplined, resilient and has absolute composure. I think people could see that.”
No ceremonial uniform for a state occasion had ever been made for a female lord president, so Mordaunt paid for one to be made. She wanted “to come up with something that is modern and will give a firm nod to the heritage”.
Her caped dress was designed by Safiyaa and stitched with a fern motif - a nod to the privy council - by a specialist atelier, Hand and Lock, which works on clothes for the military, as well as the Netflix Regency drama Bridgerton. The teal colour, called “Poseidon”, is a reference to her Portsmouth constituency.
Fantasy fans and Game of Thrones watchers likened her online to a fictional warrior princess in “gladiator robes”, striding through the rain as manservants held umbrellas over her head. The Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis tweeted: “Is Penny Mordaunt the new Pippa Middleton? She has stolen the show!”
The Sunday Times
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