In another poignant nod to his mother and grandfather, The King has chosen to reuse the chairs made for each of them for their own Coronations when he is crowned at Westminster Abbey.
During the ceremony, on May 6th 2023, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will sit on Chairs of Estate created in 1953 for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Chairs of Estate are used in the early part of the service but also at one of the most historic moments of the Coronation. While The King will sit in the Coronation Chair to be crowned, Her Majesty will be seated in her Chair of Estate when the Archbishop of Canterbury places Queen Mary’s Crown on her head.
The chairs are made of carved and gilded beechwood and covered in red silk damask. Queen Elizabeth II sat in hers during the Coronation. The one made for Prince Philip wasn’t used that day but sent straight to Buckingham Palace. The two have been kept there, in the Throne Room, since then. However, earlier this year, they were removed and recovered with new damask. The cyphers on the backs, for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, have now been removed and preserved in the Royal Collection. New cyphers for King Charles and Queen Camilla have replaced them.
Their Majesties will also sit in Throne Chairs during the Coronation. These chairs are used towards the end of the service, for the Homage and the Enthronement. King Charles and Queen Camilla have chosen to use chairs made for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later The Queen Mother, for their Coronation.
The Throne Chairs are based on a seventeenth century design which was, itself, inspired by Tudor chairs. They have been reupholstered in crimson velvet. The King’s Chair now bears his Coat of Arms while Her Majesty’s Chair has her own Coat of Arms on it. The original Coats of Arms, belonging to King George and Queen Elizabeth, have been preserved in the Royal Collection.
The Royal School of Needlework has worked on the decorations for these chairs while The Humphries Weaving Company of Suffolk has created the silk damask and velvet used to update the chairs. Heritate Trimmings Ltd of Derby looked after the new silk braid and trellis fringe on the Throne Chairs while Gainsborough Silks of Suffolk dyed the silk for the fringe. AT Cronin Workshop Ltd reupholstered the Throne Chairs.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have chosen to reuse these chairs in the interests of sustainability. They also provide a poignant link to His Majesty’s mother and grandfather.
The Coronation takes place on May 6th 2023 at Westminster Abbey.
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