Penny Mordaunt reveals how Royal Navy training helped her carry heavy ceremonial swords during coronation

Royal Navy reservist and MP Penny Mordaunt has told how her service training helped her cope with carrying ceremonial swords for hours during the King's coronation – backed up by taking a couple of painkillers before the ceremony.

The Conservative minister said her Navy training in Portsmouth as a reservist meant she knew how to keep her circulation going by 'wriggling her toes' – a technique practised by military personnel while wearing full ceremonial gear on parade to stop them fainting as it helps keep the blood flowing around the body and takes their mind off the parade for a few moments to help them stay focussed.

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Ms Mordaunt carried the 17th century Sword of State made for Charles II, which has a broad, flat, two-edged steel blade – reportedly weighing 8lbs (3.6kg) – for more than 50 minutes during the coronation at Westminster Abbey.

She then surrendered the sword before exchanging it for the lighter Jewelled Sword of Offering, which she had to carry for the remainder of the two-hour ceremony, and which has a blade of gilt steel, decorated on both faces with national emblems of roses, thistles and shamrocks, and is set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds.

Speaking to the BBC in an interview with Nick Robinson's Political Thinking podcast, she said: "I was not in the gym for six months prior to this. I think you want to make sure you're in good nick and I did take a couple of painkillers beforehand just to make sure I was going to be all right but it's fine, it's all good and we got through it."

She said she only had to carry the Sword of State, which she described as "the really heavy one", for half of the ceremony before trading it for the "very exquisite" Jewelled Sword of Offering which she said was much lighter, and which she held for the rest of the service before carrying it out of the abbey as she walked in front of the King.

She said carrying such a sword was down to practice, not leaving anything to chance, having a good breakfast, and wearing comfortable shoes.

Ms Mordaunt was appointed as the first female Defence Secretary in May 2019 following the sacking of Gavin Williamson.

She had been in the Cabinet post for only 85 days, however, before she was removed from the position by the then-new Prime Minister Boris Johnson and replaced by former Army officer Ben Wallace.

First elected to Parliament as MP for Portsmouth North in 2010, she is a Royal Navy reservist, the daughter of a paratrooper and began serving as acting sub-lieutenant in 2010 at the Portsmouth-based HMS King Alfred.