At the head of the Privy Council, Penny Mordaunt carried for 51 minutes during the ceremony a heavy sword of 3.6kg. Among the bookmakers, she is now seen as a future Prime Minister.
With her cape dress embroidered with a fern in gold thread, and the imposing sword she held straight in front of her, the leader of the British House of Commons Penny Mordaunt seemed straight out of a medieval television series when she appeared in Westminster Abbey on Saturday May 6, on the occasion of the coronation of Charles III.
In her capacity as Lord President of the Privy Council, a body whose mission is to advise the monarch, it was she who presented Charles III with the Jeweled Offering Sword, one of the symbols given to the king on his coronation.
But it is also she who, before that, carried for 51 minutes and without flinching another weapon, the Sword of State3.6 kilograms heavy and 1.2 meters long, against which he was presented with a pouch containing one hundred newly minted 50 pence coins, bearing the image of the king.
“Triceps of steel, in heels”
Her performance shone all the spotlight on her and aroused the admiration of both her supporters and her detractors, notes The Independent. In her camp, parliamentarian Caroline Nokes tweeted: “I don’t see how Penny Mordaunt could have done better. (…) Triceps of steel, in heels”.
On the other side of the political spectrum, within the Labor party, it is even estimated that “the sword bearer stole the show”, as pointed out by Emily Thornberry, also an MP.
“Don’t let anyone say that I never say anything positive about the Tories… I am in awe of the strength of the arms and shoulders of Penny Mordaunt!” Added Alastair Campbell, also from the Labor ranks.
The Anglo-Saxon press is also admiring. “Penny Mordaunt’s swordsmanship has made her Rishi Sunak’s most dangerous rival,” writes the Telegram. “Penny Mordaunt captures the moment at the coronation,” adds the Guardian.
“Penny Mordaunt was the star of the coronation of Charles III”, concludes Time Magazine.
Soaring popularity among bookmakers
The enthusiasm is such that Penny Mordaunt’s popularity rating has soared among English bookmakers. As current British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struggles after a severe setback in local elections last week, Penny Mordaunt is seen as a serious future leader of the Conservative Party.
After the coronation, she moved directly into second place in the list of favorites to the possible succession of the current tenant of 10 Downing Street, just behind the current Minister for Women and Equalities Kemi Badenoch, and ahead of Boris Johnson.
Aware of the opportunity to make a splash, Penny Mordaunt had put all the chances on her side to shine. The first woman to fill the role of bearer of swords in British history, she had refused to don the traditional dress of the Lord President of the Privy Council, in black and gold.
At Times Radio, she said she underwent demanding physical training, including push-ups and repetition sessions equipped with a weighted replica of the Sword of State, in order to find the right position to remain stoic over time. A former member of the British Navy, her military experience also taught her to “stand for long periods of time without fainting”, she said.
Not the first blow
Elected in the North Portsmouth constituency, to which the color of her dress referred, Penny Mordaunt, 50, is a seasoned politician. She has already held seven ministerial portfolios since 2015, before being appointed to her current position by Lizz Truss, during her few months in Downing Street.
Last summer, after the resignation of Boris Johnson pushed out after the Partygate scandal, Penny Mordaunt had already created a surprise by proving to be a tough opponent to take the lead of the Conservative party. She had stood up to Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, and had proven to be the adherents’ favorite candidate.
For the Guardian, the coronation sequence shows Penny Mordaunt’s ability to capture attention, meeting the expectations of the conservative and progressive wings of her party. In 2018, she was the first minister to speak in sign language in the House of Commons.
And in 2014, she had tried another coup, participating in a reality TV show called Splash!, whose goal is to learn about diving accompanied by Olympic champion Tom Daley. The attempt had proved less successful than the recent royal sequence: Penny Mordaunt had made a dish.