A History of Coronations
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. esty Queen Elizabeth II had appointed The Duchess of Cornwall, as she was formerly known, to be a Lady of the Garter.
King Charles III will be crowned on 6th May 2023 in Westminster Abbey, with The Queen Consort being crowned beside him.
Since 1601, there has only been one Coronation in the month of May – so far… Westminster Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066. Before the Abbey was built, Coronations were carried out wherever was convenient, taking place in Bath, Oxford and Canterbury.
His Majesty will be the fortieth Sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
For the first time since 1937, the coronation of King Charles III will include the crowing of a Queen Consort. Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI, was the last Queen Consort to be crowned. On Christmas Day 1066, William the Conqueror became the first monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
King Charles III succeeded to the Throne on 8th September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. the longest-reigning monarch.
At four years old, the then Prince Charles received a special hand-painted children’s invitation to his mother’s Coronation.
The Earl Marshal is responsible for organising the Coronation. Since 1386, this position has been undertaken by The Duke of Norfolk.
The 18th Duke of Norfolk is responsible for The King’s Coronation this year and was also responsible for the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Every coronation of a British monarch since King George III has taken place between May and September.
The earliest English coronation that is recorded in detail, although not the first, is the crowning of the Anglo-Saxon King Edgar in Bath in 953 CE. The youngest ever monarch was Mary, Queen of Scots, who became Queen in 1542 when she was just six days old.
The contemporary form of the coronation dates from 1902, when King Edward VII was crowned. This consists of a state procession from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey, another procession inside, the Recognition, the Anointing, the Coronation Oath, the Homage and finally another
British 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. procession from the back to the Palace.
For hundreds of years, the monarch stayed at the Tower of London two nights before the coronation. The day before the coronation, the monarch then processed through London to Westminster. This last happened in 1661 with Charles II.
Since 1902, the finale of coronation day itself has been a balcony appearance from the new monarch and other members of the Royal Family. This was inaugurated by Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The original 14th century order of service, Liber Regalis, was written in Latin and descends directly from that of King Edgar at Bath in 973 CE. The Liber Regalis has provided the basis for every Coronation since.
The Coronation Oath and the Accession Declaration Oath are the only aspects of the ceremony that are required by law.
Handel’s coronation anthem Zadok The Priest has been played at every coronation since 1727.
Their Majesties’ Coronation will include 12 new commissions of music, including a Coronation Anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a Coronation March by Patrick Doyle, and other works by Ian Far
Abbey 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. rington, Sarah Class, Nigel Hess, Paul Mealor, Tarik O’Regan, Roxanna Panufnik, Shirley J. Thompson, Judith Weir, Roderick Williams, and Debbie Wiseman.
The Official Royal Harpist, Alis Huws, will also perform as part of the Coronation Orchestra.
In 2023, Anglican churches will mark the coronation by ringing a special peal of bells in an event called ‘Ring for the King – Ringing for the King’s Coronation’.
The Gold State Coach is an enclosed eight-horse-drawn carriage used by the Royal Family on grand state occasions, such as coronations, royal weddings, and the jubilees of a monarch. It has been used at the coronation of every British monarch since George IV. Until World War II, the coach was the monarch’s usual transport to and from the State Opening of Parliament. The King will be crowned in St Edward’s Chair, made in 1300 for Edward I and used at every Coronation since that time. It is permanently kept in Westminster Abbey. Steeped in history and tradition, the St. Edward’s Crown, made in 1661, will be placed on the head of The King during the Coronation service. It weighs 4 pounds and 12 ounces, or about 2.2kg, and is made of solid gold.
The St. Edward’s Crown has been used in the coronation of every British monarch since the coronation of King Charles II.
In 1902, at the coronation of King Edward VII, the then Archbishop of Canterbury mistakenly placed the St Edward’s Crown on the King’s head back to front.
Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife, was the only Queen Consort to be crowned with the original St Edward’s Crown. This took place on 1st June 1533.
The Queen Consort will wear Queen Mary’s Crown at the Coronation. It is the first time a Consort’s crown has been re-used since the 18th century – and will feature diamonds from Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection. Edward VIII was never crowned as King. His reign lasted only 325 days. His brother Albert consequently became King, using his last name George, as George VI. The hollow gold orb, set with pearls, precious stones and a large amethyst beneath the cross, was made in 1661 and has been used in every coronation since then.
The Sovereign’s Ring was originally made in 1831 for William IV, and has a cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) in rubies (thought to represent dignity) against a blue background of a single sapphire.
Also known as ‘The Wedding Ring of England’, the Sovereign’s Ring has featured in every coronation since King William IV in 1831, when it was made.
At the coronation of Queen Victoria, her fingers were so small that the ring could not be reduced far enough in size and an alternative was created.
Edward the Confessor may have been the first monarch to assemble a regalia, or crown jewels. This has been replaced or altered over the 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. succeeding centuries. A “coronation spoon” has been used at every coronation since 1349 to anoint the monarch with a secret mixture of oils.
The oil which will be used to anoint King Charles III has been consecrated in Jerusalem. Olive oils from the Mount of Olives, not far from His Majesty’s grandmother Princess Alice’s crypt, were mixed as part of making the chrism oil.
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the first to be televised and for most people, it was the first time they had watched an event on television. 27 million people in the UK watched the ceremony on television and 11 million listened on the radio.
The first photograph of a coronation was taken during that of George V in the early 20th century by Sir Benjamin Stone, an MP and amateur photographer.
In May 1937, the BBC was allowed to broadcast George VI’s coronation service on the radio.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, public spectacle sometimes overshadowed religious significance. At George III’s coronation some of the congregation began to eat a meal during the sermon.
In 1308, guests at the coronation feast of Edward II managed to drink 1,000 casks of wine.
Coronation Chicken was invented for the guests who were to be entertained, following Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation. The food had to be prepared in advance, and Florist Constance Spry proposed a recipe of cold chicken in a curry cream sauce with a well-seasoned dressed salad of rice, green peas and mixed herbs. Constance Spry’s recipe won the approval of the Minister of Works and has since been known as Coronation Chicken.
Attendance at the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the most substantial yet: more than 8,000 guests representing 129 nations.
King Edward VII’s coronation was scheduled for June 1902 but was postponed after the King fell ill, meaning invited foreign dignitaries had left London by the time the ceremony took place.
More than 6,000 men and women of the UK’s Armed Forces – and nearly 400 Armed Forces personnel from at least 35 Commonwealth countries - will take part in the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
In 1953, Princess Marie Louise (Queen Victoria’s granddaughter) witnessed her fourth coronation, having also been present for those of Kings Edward VII, George V and George VI.
The Coronation Emblem for His Majesty’s 2023 Coronation was designed by Sir Jony Ive, who was formerly Chief Design Officer of Apple, Inc. In 1689, King William III and Queen Mary II were crowned as joint Sovereigns for the first and only time.
Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t the only one who occupied the Coronation Chair on 2nd June 1953. On the morning of her Coronation, a black cat called Matins was found sleeping on the chair in Westminster Abbey. >