Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest on 29 May 1953. They were part of a British expedition led by John Hunt.

Hillary was from New Zealand. Tenzing Norgay was a Sherpa climber with long experience on Himalayan expeditions. Their final climb followed weeks of preparation. Camps had been set up, supplies moved, and higher routes prepared. Sherpa climbers and porters were central to the work.

The British connection came through leadership, organisation and reception. Hunt’s expedition was treated as a national undertaking in Britain. The two men who reached the summit were not British. It was British-led, but Hillary and Tenzing made the final climb.

News of the ascent reached Britain on 2 June 1953, the day of Elizabeth II’s coronation. The climb had taken place four days earlier, but the report arrived during a major national ceremony. For many people in Britain, Everest became linked with the coronation.

The summit belongs first to Hillary and Tenzing, and to the expedition that got them into position. Its place in history stems from the British-led expedition and how the news was received in Britain. On 29 May, two climbers reached the top of Everest. On 2 June, the news became part of Coronation Day.