The Crown Jewels will finally get an outing (Picture: PA)
The Coronation of King Charles III is set to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for many living in the UK.
The majority of the population have never seen a coronation before, with Queen Elizabeth II’s taking place in 1953.
And many won’t live to see William, the Prince of Wales, take to the throne after the death of his father.
So there’s a lot to take in during the course of this historic event – but one of the most interesting is the coronation regalia.
They are priceless items which are only ever used for a coronation, and are part of the sacred Crown Jewels.
They are kept under armed guard the rest of the time in the Tower of London.
Here are the main artefacts which will appear in the ceremony on Saturday, May 6.
Ceremonial maces
Guardsmen carrying ceremonial maces into the House of Lords prior to the State Opening of Parliament in 2012 (Picture: PA)
Maces are used in royal processions to symbolise authority, and will be carried before King Charles on his journey to Westminster Abbey as part of the coronation procession.
Based of medieval weapons, they look like clubs and are topped with crown arches.
They were created between 1160 and 1695, and are also used at the State Opening of Parliament.
St Edward’s Staff
From top to bottom: St Edward’s Staff, the Sceptre with Dove and the Sceptre with Cross (Picture: PA)
Also known as the Long Sceptre, the staff has a pike of steel on the bottom and is carried into Westminster Abbey as part of the procession.
Associated with Edward the Confessor, the original staff was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War, and it was remade along with most of the other coronation regalia during the reign of Charles II.
Charles Farris, public historian at Historic Royal Palaces, said a new one was nearly not produced in 1661, because its use was unknown.
He said: ‘But Charles II said, “No. I want the full set” and it was made even though no one quite knew what it was for.’
The three swords
From left to right: the Sword of Temporal Justice, the Sword of Spiritual Justice and the Sword of Mercy with its blunted tip (Picture: PA)
Three swords are carried upwards into the abbey and represent kingly virtues: temporal justice – the monarch’s role as head of the Armed Forces – spiritual justice – the king as the defender of the faith – and mercy.
The mercy sword famously features a blunt tip.
They date back to the coronation of Richard the Lionheart in 1189, and are the only relics aside from the Coronation Spoon to have survived the civil war.
Sword of state
The 17th-century Sword of State, which is carried in the procession, also features in the State Opening of Parliament.
A lion and a unicorn are pictured on the hilt in silver and the wooden scabbard is covered in red velvet with rose, thistle and fleur-de-lis emblems.
Ampulla
Shaped like an eagle, the gold Ampulla holds the consecrated oil which will be used to anoint the king (Picture: PA)
The gold Ampulla is shaped like an eagle and holds the consecrated oil which will be used to anoint the king – the most sacred part of the ceremony.
It is inspired by a 14th-century legend which said the Virgin Mary appeared to St Thomas Becket in a dream, and gave him a golden eagle and a vial of oil for anointing future kings of England.
There is an opening in the eagle’s beak for pouring the oil onto the Coronation Spoon.
Coronation Spoon
The Archbishop will dip his fingers into the Coronation Spoon, bottom, to anoint the king (Picture: Rex / Shutterstock)
The Coronation Spoon is the oldest object in the Crown Jewels, but considered the ‘most humble’.
The consecrated oil is poured from the Ampulla into the double head of the spoon so the Archbishop can dip his fingers into it.
He will then anoint the King and Queen Camilla with the sign of the cross on his hand, his chest and his head.
The spoon only survived the civil war because a servant purchased it in a sale of the executed Charles I’s goods, then later returned it to Charles II.
Golden spurs
The Sovereign’s Orb, the Golden Spurs and the Sovereign’s Ring (Picture: PA)
The golden spurs, also known as St George’s Spurs, are part of the investiture – the section in the coronation where the king is given symbolic objects representing his power and responsibilities.
In medieval times, coronation ceremonies were in Latin so the symbols ensured those who could not speak Latin understood what was happening.
The spurs were traditionally fastened to the feet of the sovereign, but now they are held to the ankles of kings briefly, offered to the queen to touch, and then placed on the altar.
They feature Tudor roses and gold embroidery, and symbolise knighthood and chivalry.
Sword of Offering
This is the main sword offered to the sovereign during the service, and King Charles will carry it to be placed on the altar.
It was made for George IV’s coronation in 1821, and is encrusted with diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
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A peer traditionally offers 100 silver shillings for the sword, draws it, then carries it before the monarch for the rest of the service.
It symbolises royal power and the accepting of duty and knightly virtues.
Armills
Gold bracelets known as ‘Armills’ will be placed on King Charles’s wrists.
They are thought to relate to ancient symbols of knighthood and military leadership, and represent ‘sincerity and wisdom’.
New Armills were gifted to Elizabeth II for her coronation from the Commonwealth, but King Charles will use the original pair from 1661, which were last used by his grandfather George VI.
Sovereign’s Orb
The Sovereign’s Orb and Queen Mary’s Orb (Picture: Rex / Shutterstock)
Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown and carrying the Orb at her coronation in 1953 (Picture: PA)
Perhaps one of the most recognisable pieces of coronation regalia, the orb is a cross mounted on a golden globe symbolising how the monarch’s power is derived from God.
Weighing 1.3kg, it is decorated with emeralds, rubies, sapphires and surrounded by rose-cut diamonds and pearls.
It is placed in the sovereign’s right hand during the coronation service and then put on the altar just before the crowning.
Sovereign’s Ring
Also called the Coronation Ring, it is a symbol of kingly dignity and known as the ‘Wedding Ring of England’.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will place the ring on the fourth finger of King Charles’s right hand.
A new ring used to be made for each king or queen, but William IV’s ring from 1831 has now been passed on for almost 200 years.
However, Queen Victoria had a new one made because her fingers were too small.
It features sapphires to represent the Scottish flag, and rubies to reflect the cross of the patron saint of England, Saint George.
Camilla will also wear the Queen Consort’s Ring on the same finger, which features rubies and diamonds.
It was made for King William IV’s consort Queen Adelaide in 1831.
It has been used by three further consorts: Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Sovereign’s Sceptre with the Cross
The Sovereign’s Sceptre will be held in King Charles III’s right hand when he is crowned, and represents royal earthly power (Picture: PA)
This sceptre has been used at every coronation since that of Charles II in 1661.
It will be placed in King Charles III’s right hand when he is crowned, and represents royal earthly power.
The Cullinan I diamond was added for George V’s coronation in 1911 – the largest colourless cut diamond in the world, which is 530.2 carets.
There is a queen’s consort equivalent of this sceptre, originally made for Mary of Modena, James II’s wife, in 1685. Queen Camilla will also hold it in her right hand.
Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove
This golden sceptre will be placed in King Charles’s left hand when he is crowned, and is symbolic of justice and mercy.
Also known as the Rod of Equity and Mercy, it is intended to represent the spiritual role of the monarch and the dove is a symbol of the Holy Ghost.
There is also an equivalent rod which Queen Camilla will hold in her left hand when she is crowned, but it is controversial because it is made of ivory.
This is despite Charles’ longstanding campaign as Prince of Wales to end the illegal trafficking of animal parts like rhino horn and elephant tusk.
The Coronation Crown
The St Edward’s Crown is used at the moment of coronation and is the heaviest headpiece in the Crown Jewels.
It is the iconic piece which appears in the royal coat of arms, the Royal Mail logo and on badges of the Armed Forces.
It was made for the coronation of Charles II in 1661 as a replacement for the medieval crown, which was melted down by Oliver Cromwell after the execution of Charles I.
The original was believed to have dated back to Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
The St Edward’s Crown, the Orb, the Sceptre with Cross, the Scepture with Dove and the Sovereign’s Ring (Picture: PA)
The replacement weighs 2.23kg (nearly 5lb) and is made of solid gold, set with many different types of stones with a purple velvet cap and ermine band.
It is not an exact replica but follows the original in much of its style.
It is so heavy the late Queen practised wearing it around Buckingham Palace to ensure she could move with it on her head.
The crown had to secretly be removed from the Tower of London so it could be resized to fit the King’s head.
Before he is crowned, King Charles will likely wear a ‘Cap of Maintenance’ on his journey to Westminster Abbey, which is a fabric hat.
Queen Mary’s Crown
Queen Mary’s Crown will be used to crown Queen Camilla, with several adaptations (Picture: PA)
For the first time ever, a queen consort’s crown has been recycled for a coronation rather than a new one made.
Camilla opted to use the crown made for Charles’s great-grandmother, Queen Mary, for George V’s coronation in 1911.
The crown previously featured the controversial Koh-i-noor diamond – the ownership of which has been fiercely disputed for decades by several countries – but this now will not be used.
It is instead being altered to include several large diamonds from Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection and four of the crown’s eight detachable arches are being removed to create a different look.
Imperial State Crown
Charles will switch to wearing on the Imperial State Crown on his journey out of Westminster Abbey at the end of the service (Picture: PA)
Also known as a working crown, it is the first time Charles will be seen wearing it in public (Picture: Pool / AFP via Getty Images)
The Imperial State Crown was placed on the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II after she died for her period of lying in state (Picture: Reuters)
This is the final crown, which Charles will switch to wearing on his journey out of Westminster Abbey at the end of the service.
The lighter Imperial Crown is known as a working crown and is used at State Openings of Parliament. But this will be the first time Charles has worn it in public.
It was originally made for the coronation of his grandfather, George VI, in 1937 and weighs just over a kilogram.
It features 2,868 diamonds, as well as the Black Prince’s Ruby, which is one of the Queen’s favourite jewels.
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The Crown Jewels will finally get an outing.
