The article deals with the perception of the British Ambassador Ed. Finch of one of a series of palace coups of the 18th century, which took place in November 1741, as a result of which the daughter of Peter I — Elizabeth Petrovna came to power. Russian historians in their studies of palace coups relied on a solid source base. Meanwhile, the diplomatic correspondence with the Secretaries of State of the residents at the court of the empresses remained the least studied by them. The author of the article fills in this gap and highlights the palace coup in favor of Elizabeth Petrovna, relying on diplomatic correspondence of the British Ambassador Edward Finch. Finch dwelt on the description of the coup, drawing attention to its preparation and the decisive role in the events of the representatives of France — the Marquis de Chetardi and the life physician Elizabeth Petrovna — Lestocq. The appeal to the diplomatic correspondence of the ambassador with the Secretary of State, previously used in Russian historiography only in fragments, allowed us to learn many details of the events related to the palace coup, as well as the first steps of the government of Elizabeth Petrovna (formation of the Cabinet, the work of the investigative commission on former officials, prosecution and punishment of the accused, etc.). The Empress's obvious sympathy for certain representatives of France, who provided her with effective assistance in organizing and implementing the coup, could not but affect the reorientation of the course of Russia's foreign policy, from pro-English to pro-French. The testimonies of the British ambassador, distinguished for the most part by objectivity, allow us to expand the ideas of our contemporaries about one of the interesting and dramatic pages in the history of the palace coup of 1741.