For the first time ever, the jewellery worn by King Charles I on the day he was executed is to be shown in public.
The cufflinks used by the king on January 301649 are part of a brand new exhibition just announced by Buckingham Palace.
The show’ ‘Royal Jewellery: From Coronations to Keepsakes” will bring together over 500 years of regal gems with more than 300 items includded in the displays.
Among the pieces chosen are the cufflinks used by Charles I when he was executed at Whitehall on a cold January day following the royalist defeat in the English Civil War. He had been sentenced to death three days earlier.
The king actually wore two shirts at his execution. The weather was so cold that he added another layer to his outfit as he didn’t want to be seen to be shaking, in case it was taken for fear.
Now, almost 380 years after his death, the cufflinks will be put on public display for the first time ever.
Following his execution, items belonging to the king and especially those worn by him at the time of his death, were treated as relics by his supporters.
Oliver Cromwell, who had defeated Charles I in the Civil War, was so concerned about the impact of his death on public opinion that he had the king’s body secretly taken to Windsor under cover of darkness. Charles I was buried in St. George’s Chapel.
Also on show in the exhibition, which starts next June, will be the George IV State Diadem as well as the coronet used by Queen Victoria during the later years of her reign and which became so associated with her that it was placed on top of her coffin during her lying in state.
A necklace given to Queen Elizabeth II by her grandmother, Queen Mary, and a suite of amethysts that belonged to Queen Charlotte will also be on show.
The exhibition, From Coronations to Keepsakes, takes place at The King’s Gallery next to Buckingham Palace from next June. Tickets will be available from the start of November on the Royal Collection Trust website.
