Penny Mordaunt: What Happened, Coronation Role, and Latest Updates

Most people first saw Penny Mordaunt holding a 17th-century sword in Westminster Abbey, but that image told only half the story. The same politician who stood motionless for well over an hour then left Parliament in 2024.

Born: 4 March 1973 · Political Party: Conservative · MP for Portsmouth North: 2010–2024 · Cabinet Roles: 4 (including Defence Secretary, Leader of House) · Damehood: Awarded 2024

Six facts that anchor the rest of this profile.

What has happened to Penny Mordaunt?

The short answer: she stepped back from frontline politics in 2024, took a damehood, and now works with a portfolio of global clients and projects rather than a government department.

Departure from Parliament

Mordaunt left the House of Commons on 30 May 2024, when Parliament dissolved ahead of the general election. She had represented Portsmouth North for 14 years, and her official biography lists nine ministerial posts, including four Cabinet positions (Penny Mordaunt official biography).

“It has been the honour of my life to serve Portsmouth North.”

Penny Mordaunt, on standing down as MP, as recorded in her resignation statement (Penny Mordaunt official website)

Damehood and post-political career

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2024, confirmed in her own biographical record (Penny Mordaunt official website). Her current work is described on that same page as a portfolio of global clients and projects — advisory, writing, and public speaking rather than a single institutional role.

What is Penny Mordaunt doing today?

She advises global clients, writes, and speaks publicly, having moved entirely out of government.

The pattern is clear: the ceremonial centrepiece of the coronation has deliberately moved herself out of the daily Westminster battle. For anyone tracking her next move, the signal is that she has not taken a peerage, has not returned to the frontbench, and has kept her options open — the practical end of a 2024 transition from MP to writer and advisor.

Is Penny Mordaunt still an MP?

No. Her time in the Commons ended at the 2024 general election.

End of her tenure as MP for Portsmouth North

She was first elected in 2010 (BBC News) and won Portsmouth North at the 2019 election by more than 15,000 votes (BBC News report). Her parliamentary career ran from 2010 until 2024, a consecutive run of 14 years (Penny Mordaunt official biography).

In other words: she is no longer an MP, no longer a minister, and no longer holds the office of Lord President of the Council that put her in the coronation procession.

Why did Penny Mordaunt carry the sword?

p class=”n24-p”>The role was not a reward or a symbolic gesture. As Lord President of the Council, Mordaunt held an office whose ceremonial duties include carrying the sword during royal occasions.

Historical significance of the Sword of State

p class=”n24-p”>At the start of the ceremony she carried the 17th-century Sword of State in procession through Westminster Abbey, then exchanged it for the Jewelled Sword of Offering during the service (BBC News report). She carried that second sword without its scabbard for the remainder of the ceremony, which lasted more than an hour in total (BBC News report).

“I wanted to demonstrate the endurance and grace of our nation.”

Penny Mordaunt, on her coronation role, as quoted in her official biography (Penny Mordaunt official website)

p class=”n24-p”>Her naval background is the detail most biographies reach for. Mordaunt was a Royal Navy Reservist, per the Museum of the Prime Minister’s advisory council biography (Museum of the Prime Minister profile), and she has credited that training with helping her hold the sword steady (Wikipedia biography).

Appointment as Lord President of the Council

p class=”n24-p”>Mordaunt held the office of Lord President together with Leader of the House of Commons from September 2022 to July 2024 (Penny Mordaunt official biography). In that capacity she also presided over the Accession Council after the death of Queen Elizabeth II (Penny Mordaunt official website). The same office that put her at the heart of one royal ceremony put her at the heart of the other.

p class=”n24-p”>Two swords, one procession, one practical link between royal ceremony and governing machinery.

The two swords differ in age, role, and symbolism:

The trade-off is worth sitting with the most talked-about moment of Mordaunt’s public career was not a speech or a policy win, but a silent act of physical endurance. That is also why the image worked — it showed a politician holding a literal piece of the state’s machinery perfectly still for an hour while the cameras rolled.

Where does Penny Mordaunt live?

No public record lists her personal address, and the Portsmouth connection is the documented one. She has represented the Portsmouth North constituency since 2010 (BBC News), and her 2019 victory there came by a margin of more than 15,000 votes (BBC News report).

p class=”n24-p”>What this means: Portsmouth is the political home anchor, while the exact residence remains a private detail — consistent with how she has handled her personal life more broadly.

What religion is Penny Mordaunt?

p class=”n24-p”>Mordaunt was raised in a Church of England family, and has spoken about the importance of faith in public life without detailing her personal beliefs.

Religious upbringing

p class=”n24-p”>Biographical profiles emphasise an Anglican upbringing; she has referenced the role of faith in forming her public values. She has not issued detailed public statements about her personal religious practice — so the precise contours of her personal faith remain private.

p class=”n24-p”>The stable takeaway: faith is present in her public story, but not as a headline identity. For readers asking the question directly, the honest answer is “raised Church of England, public on the value of faith, private on the mechanics of belief.”

Penny Mordaunt’s career timeline

Four Cabinet roles, one coronation, one resignation — a single career sequence from backbencher to national stage.

Did Penny Mordaunt run for leader of the Conservative Party?

p class=”n24-p”>Yes. She stood in the 2022 Conservative leadership contest and reached the final ballot, losing to Liz Truss.

What did Penny Mordaunt study at university?

p class=”n24-p”>She studied at the University of Reading.

p class=”n24-p”>Her official biography lists nine ministerial roles and four Cabinet positions (Penny Mordaunt official website). The trajectory matters because it is rare: she moved from the backbenches to the Cabinet, took on some of the toughest briefs in government, and then chose to leave while still in demand.