Charles's Coronation
Me: Wot a load of codswallop - King (much laughter) You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Charles's Coronation
A 530-carat diamond, a golden spoon, a 'stolen' stone: These objects will make Charles king
Several royal artifacts with fascinating and controversial histories will play a key role in the coronation of King Charles III.
ByErin Blakemore Published May 4, 2023
When Charles III enters Westminster Abbey for his coronation, he’ll participate in a centuries-old tradition celebrating his ascendance to the United Kingdom’s crown. And he won’t come—or go—empty-handed. A vital part of the ancient coronation ceremony is a slew of elaborate garments, crowns, and other objects that help shepherd the monarch into his full power as head of state, the Church of England, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Most of the royal regalia dates to 1661, when the British throne was restored to the hereditary Stuart monarchy after a civil war. That year, Charles II was given new regalia to replace the treasures that had been melted down and made into coins by the short-lived republican government. Here’s a selection of the items you’ll see the king handle, and be heaped with, during his coronation.
Sovereign’s Orb
a photo of the hollow gold orb used during the coronation encrusted with gemstones
The Sovereign's Orb, which Charles will hold in his right hand during the investiture, weighs more than two pounds and is encrusted in diamonds.
The globe-like Sovereign’s Orb represents the monarch’s power across the Christian world. The hollow golden orb weighs two and a half pounds and is studded with massive gems including its diamond-encrusted cross symbolizing the Church of England and the monarch’s divine right to rule. Charles will hold it in his right hand when he is given the symbols of church and state, and it will be placed on the altar as the king is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Imperial Robe and other garments
Charles will make a number of costume changes during the coronation, all guided by the Liber Regalis, a 14th-century coronation manual. He will enter the abbey dressed in the sumptuous crimson velvet-and-ermine Robe of State worn by British sovereigns in Parliament. During the anointing portion of the ceremony, he will wear the Colobium sindonis, a plain, monk-like white garment that symbolizes humility, while being blessed with holy oil.
a black and white photo of King George VI standing on the stairs on the day of his coronation with his robe flowing beside him
King George VI wears the Imperial State Crown after his coronation in May 1937. Charles III will don the same crown following his investiture 86 years later.
As he is heaped with the symbols of state during the investiture portion of the ceremony, he’ll don the Supertunica or Robe Royal, a golden coat that reflects priests’ robes and harkens to the monarch’s divine role, along with the Stole Royal, a vestment-like scarf, and the Imperial Mantle, a golden cape. Finally, he will wear the Robe of Estate, a lavish, long purple mantle of velvet and purple that symbolizes his power and royalty, as he processes from the abbey.
St. Edward’s Crown
St. Edward’s Crown features the royal pairing of ermine and purple velvet.
The most potent—and heavy—of the monarchy’s symbols, St. Edward’s crown is made of solid gold and surrounded by rubies, sapphires and other jewels. It may be best known for a velvet top of purple—the color of royalty—and the ermine band that protects the sovereign’s head from its mighty weight. At nearly five pounds, the crown is actually lighter than its predecessor after it was remodeled for George V in 1911. In fact, it’s so heavy that many previous monarchs opted not to wear it at all. Rather, it was carried during the coronation procession and displayed on the altar during the ceremony, while the new monarch opted for a more lightweight crown or tiara. Charles is expected to wear the crown, which was resized for him last year.
But the heavy crown will only rest on his head during the coronation ceremony itself. After he is crowned, Charles will don the Imperial State Crown made for George VI’s 1937 coronation, which symbolizes the monarch’s sovereign power and is worn on state occasions like the annual opening of Parliament. It contains a 317-carat piece of the enormous Cullinan diamond, which was presented as a birthday gift in 1907 to Edward VII by the British colonial government of South Africa. The diamonds cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan behemoth have been hotly contested over the years, with many South Africans claiming the diamonds are—and remain—part of an illegitimate gift because it was bestowed by a brutal colonial power.
Stone of Destiny/Stone of Scone
Given the exquisite handwork of most of the crown jewels, you may be surprised at a plain, sandstone slab of rock given prominent display during the event. Known as the Stone of Destiny or the Stone of Scone, the rock is a symbol of the Scottish monarchy and has been in use since at least the 13th century. It represents the king’s role as monarch not just of England and Ireland, but of Scotland.
a wooden chair used for the Coronation
some men stand around a stone known as the Stone of Destiny used for the Coronation
Left: The 14th-century Coronation Chair, left, was built by Edward I to house the Stone of Destiny, or Stone of Scone, after it was taken from Scotland in 1296. It has been used every coronation in Westminster Abbey since then.
Right: The Stone of Destiny, right, will be fitted beneath the seat of Coronation Chair during the event. After the coronation, the stone will be retuned to Scotland.
Known as the “speaking stone,” Irish and Scottish monarchs supposedly stood on the unassuming rock as they were crowned. It was brought to Westminster Abbey after Edward I’s Scottish victory in 1296, and briefly spirited back north to Glasgow in 1950, when Scottish nationalists “kidnapped” the stone. In 1996, the stone was formally returned to Scotland, which displays it at Edinburgh Castle and lends it back to the monarch for coronations.
Coronation Spoon
a golden spoon used during the coronation against a grey backdrop
The delicate Coronation Spoon is one of only a few regalia objects that survived being melted down after the 17th century civil war and may possibly have originall...
Among the rarest of the regalia treasures is a two-chambered gold spoon decorated with pearls and monsters’ heads. The spoon, which first appears in royal inventories in 1349, escaped destruction after the 17th-century civil war when it was purchased by a servant of Charles I for 16 shillings and later returned to Charles II for his 1661 coronation. At a critical point in the ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury will pour holy oil into the spoon, then anoint Charles’ hands, chest, and head in a sacrament that emulates the biblical anointing of Solomon.
Sword of State
a sword used in the coronation
The Sword of State, from 1678, features a steel blade and gilt-silver hilt. It is also used during the opening of Parliament.
Among the royal symbols held by the sovereign during the coronation is the Sword of State—the same lavish silver sword used during Charles’ 1969 investiture as the Prince of Wales.
Symbolizing the monarch’s authority and ability to use power on behalf of the state, the sword isn’t the only weapon used in the ceremony. As the king processes in to the abbey, he’ll be accompanied by the Sword of Temporal Justice, the Sword of Spiritual Justice, and the Sword of Mercy.
The scepters
the gold sceptre used during the coronation showing a diamond-encrusted cross and other gems
The Sovereign’s Scepter bears the controversial 530.2-carat Cullinan I diamond.
Encrusted with gold, emeralds, diamonds, and rubies, the king’s scepters are one of the kingdom’s most potent symbols of power. The first, known as the Sovereign’s Scepter, represents the king’s temporal power. The gold rod is tipped with an enormous heart-shaped enclosure that holds Cullinan I, a 530.2-carat diamond cut also known as the Star of Africa—another contested Cullinan diamond.
During the ceremony, Charles III will also be presented with a scepter that symbolizes the monarch’s religious rule. Known as the Rod of Equity and Mercy, this scepter is topped with an enamel dove that symbolizes the Holy Spirit.
Coronation Bed
It’s unclear whether Charles will engage in one coronation tradition that doesn’t take place in Westminster Abbey: spending the night before the ceremony in a lavish bed in the Speaker’s House in the Parliament of Westminster. Traditionally, the Speaker of the House of Commons invited the new sovereign to sleep in the state bed before the coronation.
a canopy bed in a red room in Wesminster Palace
The Coronation Bed, which remains ready for a royal sleepover, is reportedly slightly larger than king size.
The magnificent bed is carved of walnut with gilt accents and a red canopy. It was built in 1859, but mysteriously disappeared from the Speaker’s House in the 1940s, only to turn up at the home of a Welsh family who had bought it at auction during the 1960s and had no idea of its purpose. They sold the bed back to Parliament in the 1980s, and it's awaited a sleepy future monarch in London ever since.
National Geographic
Me: Wot a load of codswallop - King (much laughter) You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
I am NOT a Royalist and I personally think that the English Monarchy deserve to be disbanded or shot, however, my tenant wanted to watch the coronation and I watched it with her and it was an impressive display to be sure.
Charles always wanted to be King and now with his wife Queen Camilla he now is, with her - I wish them both well, for however long he is King.
Passing thought - if one person in amongst all of those well wishers had Covid, then they all potentially will get Covid as well, so I guess it is fortunate that they all have been vaccinated, then they won't catch it - right?
Have to see if there is a Covid spread in England, over the next few days then.
I noticed that Biden and his wife were not present - was that expected?
The USA might currently be awash in stupidity