A May Queen sits surrounded by her retinue as the crown is lowered onto her head at a ceremony in a suburban park in London
The London May Queen organisation was founded around 1911 by Joseph Deedy. Each group involved is called a Realm and has its own colour and flower. Girls from around 5 to 15 work their way through the various levels of the organisation in their realm, graduating from the retinue to become standard bearer, carrier of the scroll, sceptre and crown, Prince and eventually Queen based on seniority. They can then join the London May Queen group and may become London May Queen. The groups hold various processions and crowning events in Hayes, Bromley, Beckenham and other areas of south east London in April and May each year. Queens may also attend charity events and some groups dance around maypoles.
Size: 5040px × 3374px
Location: Hayes, Kent, London, England, UK
Photo credit: © Peter Marshall / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bromley, ceremony, costumes, crowning, custom, deedy, folklore, girls, hayes, joseph, kent, london, procession, queen, realm, south-east, suburban, tradition, young
