GEORGE III Letter signed ('George R') commanding the recipient attend the Coronation on 22 September, and '...(all excuses set apart) to make your personal Attendance on Us at the Time above mentioned furnished and appointed as to your Rank and Quality - appertaineth There to do and perform all such Services as shall be required...', countersigned by Lord Effingham, Earl Marshall ('Effingham M') at foot, the word 'To' lower left corner but bottom edge trimmed to remove name of recipient, one page on a bifolium, 'Pro Patria' watermark, dust-staining and marks, creasing, some small tears and pin holes along folds, 303 x 200mm., Court of St. James's, 14 September 1761 Footnotes: SCARCE INVITATION TO THE CORONATION OF GEORGE III & QUEEN CHARLOTTE, signed just days after his marriage to his hitherto-unseen bride, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The day of the coronation, by all accounts, was beset by difficulties. The Gold State coach, used by subsequent monarchs for State occasions including the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, was specially commissioned for the event but was not ready in time. Chaotic scenes ensued as carriages arriving at the Abbey collided in the crowds, no chairs had been provided for the King and Queen, and the sword of state was accidentally left behind at St. James' Palace. Spectators reported of 'confusion, irregularity and disorder' and during the ceremony a large jewel is reputed to have fallen from the crown, later said to have been an omen presaging the loss of the American colonies. After the lavish and lengthy banquet, the doors of Westminster Hall were flung open to allow the waiting crowds to surge in and ransack the hall for anything they could carry. All that notwithstanding, the ceremony, music and form of service (which included the anthem Zadok the Priest, composed by Handel for the coronation of George II) set the precedent for all coronations to come. Whilst the recipient's name has been excised from our document it remains a rare survival. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing