The Coronation Regalia, part of the crown jewels, will play a big part in King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla’s official crowning ceremony. Here is everything we know.
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THE HISTORY OF THE CORONATION REGALIA EXPLAINED
According to the Royal Family’s website, the Coronation Regalia are sacred and secular objects. They symbolise the service and responsibilities of the monarch over the past 100 years.
At the “heart of the Crown Jewels” the coronation regalia are housed in the Tower of London. They on public display, the website states.
Here’s a look at some of the iconic pieces that form part of the Regalia.
TWO MACES
Made from silver gift over oak, the two maces date back between 1660 and 1695. As ceremonial emblems of authority, they are carried before the Sovereign at important events.
SWORD OF STATE
Also carried ahead of the Sovereign on formal occasions, the Sword of State is seen as a symbol of Royal authority. The steel blade, with a silver-gilt hilt, is enclosed in a wooden scabbard that is covered in velvet.
CHRISM ANOINTMENT OIL
The Chrism oil, consecrated in The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in March, will be used to anoint the King and Queen Consort.
The oil is kept in the Ampulla, made from gold and cast in the form of an eagle with outspread wings, and will be poured through an aperture in the beak.
CORONATION SPOON
The silver-gilt Coronation Spoon is the oldest object in use at royal coronations. According to the royal website, its first recorded use was in 1349 among St Edward’s Regalia in Westminster Abbey. In 1649, the Spoon was reportedly sold to the Yeoman of King Charles I’s Wardrobe, who returned it for King Charles II’s Coronation in 1661 when tiny seed pearls were added to the handle decoration.
SOVEREIGN’S ORB
A representation of the Sovereign’s power and symbolising the Christian world, the Sovereign’s Orb was made from gold in the seventeenth century and is divided into three sections with bands of jewels for each of the three continents known in the medieval period, as per the website.
SOVEREIGN’S RING
Per the royal family, the Sovereign’s Ring comprises a sapphire with a ruby cross set in diamonds. A symbol of kingly dignity, the ring was made for the Coronation of King William IV in 1831, and all Sovereigns from King Edward VII onwards have used it at their Coronations.
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EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT CORONATION CROWN
King Charles will wear the St. Edward’s crown at the moment of crowning at the coronation, following tradition, The Telegraph reports.
The King will also wear the Imperial State Crown during the Service, Buckingham Palace states.
St Edward’s Crown is historically used at the moment of Coronation. The late Queen Elizabeth wore the crown at her Coronation in 1953.
The crown was made for Charles II in 1661. The medieval crown was melted down in 1649. This is according to Buckingham Palace.
The magnificent solid gold frame weighs 2.23kg and is adorned with 444 precious stones. It features four crosses pattee and four fleurs-de-lis. A cross, the publication reports, surmounts the arches.
After 1685, the crown was not used in a coronation for over 200 years, The Telegraph reports. In 1911, George V reportedly revived the tradition for his own crowning in 1911, and its been used by every monarch since..
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