Dame Penny Mordaunt Pomp & Circumstance: Why Britains Traditions Matter

About

In this stirring and original talk, Penny Mordaunt draws on her book Pomp & Circumstance to show why Britains traditions are not relics of the past but vital to our national life today.
From the pageantry of coronations to the customs of Parliament, from military ceremonies to local rituals that bind communities together, Mordaunt explores how Britains traditions have endured through centuries of upheaval. Far from being outdated theatre, she argues, they embody values of service, duty, and continuity that strengthen our democracy and unite a diverse society.

With insight drawn from her own experiences as Leader of the House of Commons and as a serving Royal Naval Reservist, she examines why ceremony and symbolism matter, how tradition shapes identity, and how Britain can renew its confidence by understanding its past.
Unifying, thoughtful and engaging, this talk reminds us that to preserve what is best about Britain we must cherish the institutions, customs and rituals that hold the nation together.

Penny Mordaunt was the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North and Leader of the House of Commons. She has held senior Cabinet posts, including Secretary of State for Defence and International Development, and was the first woman to serve as Lord President of the Privy Council to proclaim a new monarch. Alongside her political career, she continues to serve as a Royal Naval Reservist. Pomp & Circumstance is her third book. She lives in Portsmouth.

Penny Mordaunt is also Chair of the Coalition for Global Prosperity and serves on the Transformation Advisory Board at British American Tobacco. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2025.

A Q&A session will follow.