We’ve witnessed royal weddings, jubilee celebrations and funerals. They were surreal in many ways and grand. But a coronation is rare; it is different and more resplendent than anything a whole generation of Britons and royal lovers from across the world have seen. The last coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953. Now 70 years later and after a long long wait, her son King Charles III is set to be crowned on 6 May at London’s Westminster Abbey.
It’s going to be a spectacle straight out of a fairytale. There’s the King and his Queen, Camilla. The coronation ceremony is steeped in tradition with precious swords and a spoon from centuries ago. There are sceptres, a crown and carriages that will carry the royal couple to Westminster Abbey and back.
The coronation is expected to last around two hours, which will include a procession into the Abbey and a prayer service. Then will begin the rites, the recognition, oath, anointment, investiture and crowing, and enthronement. It’s here where we will see a display of precious jewellery and accessories, some of which are a reminder of Britain’s not-so-proud colonial past. The controversial Kohinoor will not be part of the celebrations, but some other jewels, many of which are part of the royal loot, will.
These are usually kept safe in the Tower of London and will be on display at the glitzy celebration. We take a look and coronation regalia and the history behind it.
Diamond Jubilee State Coach
It will all start with a procession through London that will take Charles and Camilla to Westminster Abbey to be crowned. They will travel in a carriage from Buckingham Palace – the Diamond Jubilee State Coach from 2010 and one of the few things from the 21st Century that will be a part of the ceremony.
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was first used in 2014. It was built in Australia and delivered to Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the 60th anniversary of her reign. The coach’s interior is inlaid with samples of wood, metals and other materials from buildings and places with connections to Britain and its history: royal residences including Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse; cathedrals including St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey; and historic ships, such as the Mary Rose, according to the official website of the Royal Family.
The coach has only ever conveyed the sovereign, occasionally accompanied by the consort or a visiting head of state.
On Saturday, it will ferry Charles and Camilla and will be drawn by six Windsor Grey horses.
The Coronation Spoon
At Westminster Abbey, the King will take part in a service and then receive the Coronation Bible and take the oath.
When Charles sits on the Coronation Chair, he is anointed with sacred oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is officiating the ceremony. He will pour “chrism oil” from a golden flask in the form of an eagle called the Ampulla on the Coronation Spoon before anointing the King.
The spoon, which belongs to the 12th Century, is the oldest object used in the ceremony. It may have been used since the time of Richard the Lionheart, the King of England from 1189 until he died in 1199.
The silver-gilt regalia is finely engraved with acanthus scrolls, decorated with pearls, and its bowl divided into two.
After the English Civil War, when Oliver Cromwell’s Parliament melted all the gold, the spoon survived. It was bought for 16 shillings – £3,000 today – and presented to the restored Charles II, according to a report in The Spectator.
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Sword of Offering
An array of ceremonial swords will be presented to King Charles at the coronation, the most momentous among them is the Sword of Offering. It will be presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury, signifying the monarch’s commitment to defending the Church of England.
The sword made in 1820 has a steel blade with the inscription “Ecclesiae Anglicanae Defensor”, a Latin phrase that translates to “Defender of the Church of England”. Mounted in gold, it is studded with precious stones like rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds which form a rose.
The Sword of Offering was first used at the coronation of King George IV in July 1821.
Sovereign’s Orb
The Sovereign’s Orb, which is part of the Crown Jewels, is among the most known of the regalia used in the ceremony. It has been part of every coronation of British monarchs since 1661. During the investiture, King Charles will be presented with the orb, which he will hold in his right hand.
The orb was commissioned for the 1661 coronation of King Charles II to royal goldsmith Robert Vyner. It represents the power of the monarch: The spherical shape and the cross on top of it symbolise the Christian world and the three sections divided by bejewelled bands are the three continents known during the medieval era.
Made from a hollow gold globe, the orb is fitted with gemstones – 365 diamonds, 18 rubies, nine emeralds, nine sapphires, and pearls. The most precious of them is the octagonal step-cut amethyst that surmounts the orb.
The sacred regalia was last seen placed on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during the state funeral in September 2022.
The sceptres
In the right hand, the monarch holds the orb, and in the left the Sovereign’s Sceptre with the Cross. This too has been used in every coronation since 1661 when it was created for Charles II.
The sceptre used today is different from the original. In 1820, the piece was altered for the coronation of George IV, adding an enamelled rose, thistle, and shamrock, then in 1910, King George V (King Charles III’s great-grandfather) had it altered again to include the massive, 530.2 carat Cullinan I diamond, according to a report in Town and Country Mag.
The Cullinan I diamond, known as the Great Star of Africa, is cut from a 3,106-carat rough diamond mined in South Africa in 1905 and handed over to the British royal family. But now many in South Africa see it as an illegitimate acquisition by the British and there are growing calls that it be returned.
The other sceptre that will feature in the ceremony is The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove. It has an enamelled dove on a golden cross at its peak and represents the monarch’s spiritual role.
The crown
It all comes down to the moment of crowning, the highlight of the coronation.
Among the Crown Jewels collection, the most venerated is the St Edward’s Crown. At the ceremony, the crown will be placed on the head of King Charles III. The monarch will wear it only once – for less than an hour – before is stored away at the Tower of London for the next ceremony.
This centrepiece of the coronation regalia was made for Charles II. It was created out of solid 22-carat gold and is over 30 cm tall and weighs about 2.23 kilos. It has 444 jewels and gemstones that include sapphires, rubies, amethysts, and topaz, set in enamel and gold mounts, reports the BBC. On top of the crown is a bejewelled cross with dangling beads and a “monde” which represents the world of the monarch’s reign.
The St Edward’s Crown was last worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953.
The Coronation Chair
The Coronation Chair is another ancient piece of artefact that is used at the time of crowning. Also called the St Edward’s Chair, it was made at the request of Edward I to house the Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, the inauguration stone of Scottish kings after he captured the Scottish crown and sceptre in 1296, reports CNN.
The chair made of Baltic oak is adorned with patterns on animals, foliage and birds. On the back of it, a figure of a king is painted with his feet resting on the lion.
The chair was first used for the coronation of King Edward II in 1308. Westminster Abbey has described the chair as “one of the most precious and famous pieces of furniture in the world”.
For the earlier part of the ceremony, the Chairs of Estate will be used which were made for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
Golden State Coach
Once the ceremony is over, the King and Queen will head back to the palace in the Golden State Coach. It has been used in every coronation since 1831. The coach is made of giltwood with a thin layer of gold leaf over wood.
The interior is lined and upholstered with velvet and satin and features magnificently painted panels of Roman gods and goddesses. It carries gilded sculptures including three cherubs on the roof, which represent England, Scotland, and Ireland. And above each wheel, there is a massive triton figure.
Interestingly, the coach is only used at a walking pace.
The coronation is going to be quite the spectacle. Hundreds of millions of people are expected to watch Charles and Camilla being crowned, some in awe and some questioning the need for monarchy in the modern world.
With inputs from agencies
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from Some Ancient, Some Stolen: Spoon, spectre, crown and other jewels to be used in King Charles’ coronation
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