It’s at least six centuries old, was inscribed on vellum and is written in Latin but it’s about to play a part in the most anticipated royal event of the year. The Liber Regalis is the template for the coronation service and it will ensure that the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Camilla follows traditions that have been in use since the 14th century.
The Liber Regalis, or…
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…
It was meant to be the setting for the first outgoing State Visit of his reign but while King Charles won’t be in Paris this weekend as planned, one version of the monarch has made its debut in the French capital. A new waxwork of The King was unveiled there, just as…
Benches fit for a King will become part of the Coronation celebrations for King Charles III.
Seats decorated to represent young people’s hopes for The King’s reign will be installed at the Tower of London and Hillsborough Castle.
Historic Royal Palaces
The designs were chosen from over 1,500 entries in a competition run by Historic Royal Palaces which looks after the Tower and…
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…
Was England's first ''commoner'' queen actually rather noble?
24th March 2023
Who was the first commoner to be Queen of England? There has been a long debate on the matter, because the parameters for being classified as “commoner” have shifted though the centuries.
Elizabeth Woodville is considered the first commoner to be crowned as…
King George V and Queen Mary, like King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, were crowned as King and Queen of the United Kingdom (and Dominions) and as Emperor and Empress of India. Their 1911 coronation was luckily less eventful than that of George’s parents.
George came to the throne following his father’s death on 6 May 1910. The couple had been very involved with his parents’…
Elizabeth Woodville is considered to be the first commoner to be crowned as Queen of England. Her coronation, soon after her marriage to King Edward IV was revealed, was controversial at the time and would mark a formal beginning to a royal tenure that was filled with drama…
While there is a traditional uniform for kings at their coronation, there is not for queens. This has allowed each queen to wear a gown specifically created for their coronation day. Queen Alexandra’s coronation dress remains one of the most sumptuous in British…
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.”…
