While King Charles III will be presented with the Honours of Scotland, known as the Scottish Crown Jewels, on 5 July, King Charles II was the last monarch who was crowned with the Honours. Mary, Queen of Scots was the first Scottish monarch who was crowned with them in 1543.
Mary, Queen of Scots was born on 8 December 1542 to King James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. Her father died only six days after she was born, leaving the newborn to take the throne.
Mary Stuart’s coronation was held on 6 September 1544 when she was only nine months old. The ceremony was held in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle and was slightly different given the young queen’s age.
Miniature coronation robes were made for Mary. She wore a jewelled satin gown with a crimson velvet mantle. Historians believe that her mother also wore her own coronation gowns.
The Honours of Scotland include the Crown of Scotland, the Sceptre, and the Sword of State. Mary’s father had had the Crown of Scotland recreated in 1540, making Mary the first Scottish monarch to use the crown in her coronation. As she was less than a year old, she was obviously not able to wear the crown and it was held up over her head.
When the tiny Mary was presented with the Sceptre, she reportedly grabbed the handle. While she was apparently settled for most of the ceremony, she did cry out after being anointed with holy oil.
The Honours were hidden for a decade after King Charles II fled to the Continent after his Scottish coronation in 1651. They were also sealed in the Crown Room after the Act of Union passed in 1707 and the two kingdoms were finally merged. They were brought out again in the early 19th century in the reign of George IV.
