Penny Mordaunt: I channeled Betty Boothroyd during the coronation

Penny Mordaunt carried the Sword of State at the coronation. She was the first woman to ever play this role. Photo: WPA/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

Penny Mordaunt, leader of the House of Commons, said she channeled the spirit of Betty Boothroyd during her sword-wielding role at the king's coronation.

The Leader of the House of Commons said she wanted to deliver a strong message to girls and young women, just as the famous MP did when she made history as the first female Speaker of the House.

p>Ms Mordaunt impressed an audience of billions around the world by holding the 8-pound Sword of State aloft for 51 minutes during a ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London in May.

She was the first woman to speak at a coronation as Lord President of the Privy Council, the sovereign's body of advisors, which includes senior elected politicians and ceremonial officers.

Betty Boothroyd, the first female Speaker, was known for her unwavering sense of humor and passionate belief in the sovereignty of Parliament. Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley

Baroness Boothroyd, who broke 700 years of tradition when she was elected Speaker in the spring of 1992, died at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge earlier this year aged 93.

Known for her unwavering sense of fair play, her unwavering sense of humor and a passionate belief in the sovereignty of Parliament, her term coincided with Sir John Major's attempts to defend his slim majority.

She was then a Labor MP, served as Speaker during the wide-ranging parliamentary disputes over the Maastricht Treaty, navigated the messy scandals that engulfed Major's government, and witnessed the meteoric rise of Sir Tony Blair in 1997.

< p>Having left the House of Commons three years later, she was appointed to the House of Lords as a peer in 2001.

In a BBC documentary on the life of the former Speaker, presenter Kirsty Wark asked Ms Mordaunt whether at the coronation she was channeling her “inner Betty.”

She responded: “I like to think so. I think sometimes the power of an image, of a woman playing a role and being strong, has a huge impact on aspirations, especially of young girls and women. And Betty did it for her generation.»

Although she represented a different party, Ms Mordaunt said the experienced politician supported all MPs.

She said: «She taught us to value every day, and it doesn't matter whether you're Conservative, Lib Dem, SNP or Labour.

«She was a megastar… we either left laughing or she gave us fantastic advice.»