British RoyalsHistory

The queen who used the coronation chair for a special milestone

The Coronation Chair, known as St Edward’s Chair, or King Edward’s Chair is perhaps one of the most symbolic parts of a monarch’s coronation. While the 700-year-old chair is typically only used for the coronation service, there is one sovereign who used it for another special occasion – Queen Victoria. Victoria was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 28 June 1838 at the age…
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The coronation that signalled disaster for the Monarchy

His reign would end with the toppling of the monarchy but as Charles I was crowned King of England in 1626, there was little indication that the ancient ceremony heralded a time of tumult that would lead to war and death. However, as the Archbishop of Canterbury lifted St. Edward’s Crown into the hushed air of Westminster Abbey ahead of the Coronation, he heralded a moment in royal history…
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The coronation of England's first queen consort

The coronation of the first post Conquest queen of England wasn’t just a milestone for a new regime. It changed the concept of consorts in the country. For until the crown was placed on the head of Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, England hadn’t usually held coronations for queens. In fact, the Anglo-Saxons hadn’t used that title for the spouses of its kings.
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The coronation that led to riots and for a king whose heart lay far from England

He was a hero king who had survived an epic game of thrones and his coronation was set to be a splendid celebration at the start of a new era of royal power. The crowning of Richard I involved pomp, pageantry and chivalric splendour but it also led to riots and the deaths of dozens of people. What’s more, the king at the heart of the event was far more interested in life outside England and…
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