England has held coronations for hundreds
of years and despite the country’s vast history, one might be
surprised to learn that the oldest part of the Crown Jewels, is a
spoon. The silver-gilt spoon is first recorded in 1349 as being
preserved among St Edward’s Regalia in Westminster Abbey. At this
date in time, the spoon is described as already in its “antique
forme.”…
The Coronation of King Charles III and
Queen Camilla is to be a carefully executed event, with
preparations well underway for the historic occasion on May 6 at
Westminster Abbey. Plans for the Coronation have generally remained
unchanged for many centuries, with the finer…
While they might not always be crowned
alongside their kings, the consorts in the thousand years since the
Norman Conquest have usually had coronations at Westminster Abbey.
But one queen of England was given her crown thousands of miles
from the realm. Queen Berengaria…
The spectacular robe that King Charles will wear after his Coronation - the Robe of Estate
21st March 2023
The Coronation of King Charles will see
the Monarch wear two crowns and two spectacular velvet robes. While
Charles III will begin the ceremony in the Robe of State, he will
leave Westminster Abbey as a crowned King and wearing a sumptuous
Robe of Estate. There might be just one letter separating them in
the anthology of coronations but there are major differences
between these two robes. Both…
It was a royal wedding for the history
books, the marriage of a future king and a regal love match to
boot. On this day in 1929, Olav of Norway married Martha of Sweden
in Oslo. The couple’s romance had captured the public imagination
while their rather glamourous…
When the whole world is watching, the
pressure to pull off an event perfectly like a coronation is
immense. It’s been 70 years since the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth
II and during the three-hour service, it’s reported the then
25-year-old made only one…
A Guide to Coronation Service: The entry of the Monarch into Westminster Abbey
20th March 2023
On 6 May, King Charles III and Queen
Consort Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey. For many,
this will be the first coronation they have ever seen. The ceremony
will follow a pattern laid out in the Liber Regalis, kept at
Westminster Abbey and which has informed the pattern of coronations
since the 14th century. The service which will see the Coronation
of King Charles and Queen…
When King Charles III and Queen Camilla
are crowned on 6 May, many Coronation traditions will take place
for the first time in 70 years. Among them will be the use of the
Gold State Coach for a Coronation procession. However, there is
expected to be a modern twist on this…
The coronation of a consort who might have been England's first queen regnant
18th March 2023
In another lifetime, perhaps she’d be
recognised as England’s first queen regnant, but Elizabeth of York
was fated to be a consequential queen consort instead, with her
popularity helping to sow peace in the aftermath of the Wars of the
Roses. Elizabeth holds a unique…
It is a chair with understated elegance
and steeped in history. The Coronation Chair, also known as King
Edward’s Chair or Saint Edward’s Chair, was commissioned by King
Edward I in 1296. Originally, it was meant to hold the Stone of
Scone, taken from Scotland by King Edward I. In fact, when kings
were crowned, they would sit directly on the Stone of Scone. In
later years, a piece of wood…
