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The long serving heir whose Coronation was delayed by a last minute hitch

King Charles III has often been compared to his great-great-grandfather, King Edward VII. Both ascended the throne after their mother’s enjoyed record-breaking reigns, and at the time of each king’s ascension, they both held the record for longest-serving Prince of Wales. Edward’s coronation in 1902 was not without some difficulties, though. Although his mother’s coronation in…
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The Coronation robes - the Supertunica

King Charles III’s coronation will be a blend of modern and traditional. The Supertunica he will wear is firmly in the “traditional” column. In fact, it dates back to medieval coronations and is one of the items mentioned in the ‘Liber Regalis,’ which is…
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To crown a king - George VI's Coronation

It’s been nearly 90 years since the United Kingdom crowned its last King, King George VI. And the outfit worn by George on 12 May 1937 might give us an idea of how King Charles III may dress when he is crowned on 6 May, and how he could follow tradition. As he…
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The Crown Jewels and the State Trumpets

The Jewel House at the Tower of London is home to the Crown Jewels, part of which includes a total of sixteen silver trumpets, dating back to 1780, also known as the state trumpets. However, only one of the trumpets is on display for visitors to see. Seven of these trumpets were originally used by the 1st Regiment Life Guards, and bear engraved inscriptions indicating this. The other nine…
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Five centuries after the Conquest, how a queen finally conquered the Crown

There have only been a handful of queen regnants in Britain’s history. Queen Elizabeth II was the most recent, having reigned a historic 70 years, but 400 years before her reign began, the first queen regnant was crowned: Queen Mary I. The eldest daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Mary Tudor, lived a tumultuous life. Born as a legitimate heir, then named…
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The history of the chairs to be used by King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Coronation

In another poignant nod to his mother and grandfather, The King has chosen to reuse the chairs made for each of them for their own Coronations when he is crowned at Westminster Abbey. During the ceremony, on May 6th 2023, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will sit on Chairs of Estate created in 1953 for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Chairs of Estate are used in the early part of the…
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