Penny Mordaunt popped a couple of painkillers to help her carry ceremonial swords for more than an hour during the King’s coronation.
As Lord President of the Council, the Tory minister was responsible for bearing the Sword of State and presenting the Jewelled Sword of Offering to King Charles.
She was the first woman to have the role and described it as a “humbling day”.
The Leader of the House of Commons said she did not do any training for the job, but made sure she was “in good nick” for the event last Saturday, which was watched by more than 20million Britons.
She told Nick Robinson's Political Thinking podcast: “I was not in the gym for six months prior”, but added: “You want to make sure you are in good nick.
“I did take a couple of painkillers before just to make sure I was going to be alright.”
Ms Mordaunt said she also called on her Navy training, which meant she knew how to keep her circulation going by “wriggling your toes”.
Dressed in a custom-made teal outfit with a matching cape and headband with gold feather embroidery, the MP for Portsmouth North, and former Conservative leadership frontrunner, carried the 17th-century Sword of State in procession to the abbey.
Its silver-gilt hilt features the form of a lion and unicorn and the wooden scabbard is covered in red velvet with silver-gilt rose, thistle and fleur-de-lis emblems.
Later in the ceremony, Ms Mordaunt exchanged the four-feet-long Sword of State for the Jewelled Sword of Offering and delivered it to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The second sword was briefly clipped to the King’s coronation belt and then after a proclamation by the archbishop, the King stepped forward and offered up the blade.
It was then placed on the altar and redeemed with “redemption money” by Ms Mordaunt.
The sword was later drawn and she carried it in its “naked” form - without its scabbard - before the King for the rest of the service.
The practice dates back to the coronation of Richard the Lionheart in 1189 and Ms Mordaunt’s performance in the highly visible role attracted much praise from across the political spectrum.
British Twitter today pic.twitter.com/L6ieiNKOkI
— Martin F. Robbins (@mjrobbins) May 6, 2023
She said she enjoyed becoming a hit online after images from the ceremony were photoshopped and shared on social media.
Some showed the sword replaced by a kebab, the leaf motif on her dress likened to Poundland branding and saw the MP inserted into the distracted boyfriend meme.
“I was reunited with my phone and found I had become a meme,” she said.
”I say well done to the Great British public.”
She added: “It is nice to be recognised think I was a bit of a metaphor for everyone on the day - everyone did their bit, everyone did it really well.”
