Who is Penny Mordaunt? Meet the first Female to Present Sword to King Charles III
Penny Mordaunt is a British politician who has been in the spotlight recently for her role in the coronation of King Charles III and Camilla. She is the Leader of the House of Commons, and Lord President of the Council, and the first woman to carry the sword of state during the ceremony.
Early Life and Education
Penny Mordaunt was born on 4 March 1973 in Torquay, Devon. She grew up in a naval family and attended Oaklands Catholic School in Waterlooville, Hampshire. She studied philosophy at the University of Reading and graduated with a BA degree in 1995. She also joined the Royal Naval Reserve as an acting sub-lieutenant and later became an honorary captain.
Political career
Mordaunt started her political career as a researcher for the Conservative Party under John Major and William Hague. She also worked for George W. Bush’s presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004. She became the MP for Portsmouth North in 2010 and has held various ministerial positions since then, including Minister of State for Trade Policy, Paymaster General, Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Secretary of State for International Development, Secretary of State for Defence, and Minister for Women and Equalities.
She is currently the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, which means she is responsible for organizing government business in parliament and chairing the Privy Council, a formal body of advisers to the monarch. She was appointed to these roles by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 6 September 2022.
She has also run twice for the Conservative Party leadership, in July–September 2022 and October 2022, but failed to secure enough support from her fellow MPs. She is known for being a staunch Brexiteer and a supporter of free trade.
Penny Mordaunt Coronation role
Mordaunt made history on 6 May 2023 by becoming the first woman to carry the sword of state during the coronation of King Charles III and Camilla at Westminster Abbey. The sword of the state is a symbol of the king’s authority and weighs eight pounds. Mordaunt had to carry it at right angles to her body before exchanging it for the jeweled sword of offering and presenting that to Charles. She then “bought back” the sword from the Archbishop of Canterbury in exchange for 100 newly-minted 50p coins bearing an effigy of Charles.
Mordaunt revealed that she had trained for her sword-carrying role by lifting weights and practicing with a broomstick. She said she was honored to be part of the historic occasion and praised Charles for his “visionary” speech on climate change and social justice.
Personal life
Mordaunt was married to Paul Murray from 1999 to 2000. She is currently single and lives in Portsmouth with her two dogs. She is a patron of several charities, including The Silver Line, a helpline for older people, and ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, which supports soldiers and veterans. She is also an avid swimmer and diver and once appeared on the TV show Splash!, where she performed a dive from a 7.5-meter platform.
Source: News In Bollywood
