It is now believed that the first king to wear a crown for his coronation was Edward the Elder, King of the West Saxons, who ruled from AD 899 to 924. His coronation took place on or around June 8, AD 900, at Kingston upon Thames and was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Edward, who was the second son of Alfred the Great, was the first king to proclaim himself “by the gift of God’s grace, King of the Anglo-Saxons”.