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 wedding brought huge crowds to the streets of the Norwegian capital. Let’s rewind nine decades and remember the wedding…
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…
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 centuries old part of the ceremonial. The King and Queen Consort won’t use the 260-year-old coach to travel from…
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…
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.Â
Although his mother’s coronation in…
As well as wearing several crowns at his Coronation (well, this is a once only event after all), King Charles will also be clothed in a variety of robes. The first out of the royal wardrobe will be the Robe of State and while The King won’t wear it for the whole of the…
It is a considered a gem meant for monarchs, but there is one notable exception to the rules around St. Edward’s Crown: Anne Boleyn.
St. Edward’s Crown is the oldest and heaviest crown in use in the British collection. Worn by Edward the Confessor during his reign…
One thing has been certain about the Coronation of King Charles III from the very start. Even before the date was known, the location of the crowning of the new Monarch was set in stone. For Charles III, like every King and Queen for almost a millennium, will be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
Its role in this ancient ceremony was never even questioned. St. Edward’s Crown will be brought once…
