Queen Elizabeth II had little expectation of succeeding to the throne until her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. At just 25-years-old, the queen was called to assume the throne. Her coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London was the first to be broadcast on live television. The coronation took place on June 2nd, 1953 with 27 million people in the U.K. viewing.