The newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II taking part in a traditional ceremony at Temple Bar in Fleet Street, London on 12 June 1952, 10 days after her Coronation. Photograph shows her accepting the pearl sword from the Lord Mayor at the boundary of the City. The custom, whereby the monarch requests permission to enter the City from the Lord Mayor, is thought to date from 1588 when Elizabeth I went to St. Paul's Cathedral to return thanks for the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and is regarded as token of the rights of the City as against the Sovereign.