A 530-carat diamond, a golden spoon, a 'stolen' stone: These objects will make Charles king
Several royal artifacts with fascinating and controversial histories will play a key role in the coronation of King Charles III.
When Charles III enters Westminster Abbey for his coronation, he’ll participate in a centuries-old tradition celebrating his ascendance to the United Kingdom’s crown. And he won’t come—or go—empty-handed. A vital part of the ancient coronation ceremony is a slew of elaborate garments, crowns, and other objects that help shepherd the monarch into his full power as head of state, the Church of England, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Most of the royal regalia dates to 1661, when the British throne was restored to the hereditary Stuart monarchy after a civil war. That year, Charles II was given new regalia to replace the treasures that had been melted down and made into coins by the short-lived republican government. Here’s a selection of the items you’ll see the king handle, and be heaped with, during his coronation.
Sovereign’s Orb
The globe-like Sovereign’s Orb represents the monarch’s power across the Christian world. The hollow golden orb weighs two and a half pounds and is studded with massive gems including its diamond-encrusted cross symbolizing the Church of England and the monarch’s divine right to rule. Charles will hold it in his right hand when he is given the symbols of church and state, and it will be placed on the altar as the king is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Imperial Robe and other garments
Charles will make a number of costume changes during the coronation, all guided by the Liber Regalis, a 14th-century coronation manual. He will enter the abbey dressed in the sumptuous crimson velvet-and-ermine Robe of State worn by British sovereigns in Parliament. During the anointing portion of the ceremony, he will wear the Colobium sindonis, a plain, monk-like white garment that symbolizes humility, while being blessed with holy oil.
As he is heaped with the symbols of state during the investiture portion of the ceremony, he’ll don the Supertunica or Robe Royal, a golden coat that reflects priests’ robes and harkens to the monarch’s divine role, along with the Stole Royal, a vestment-like scarf, and the Imperial Mantle, a golden cape. Finally, he will wear the Robe of Estate, a lavish, long purple mantle of velvet and purple that symbolizes his power and royalty, as he processes from the abbey.
St. Edward’s Crown
The most potent—and heavy—of the monarchy’s symbols, St. Edward’s crown is made of solid gold and surrounded by rubies, sapphires and other jewels. It may be best known for a velvet top of purple—the color of royalty—and the ermine band that protects the sovereign’s head from its mighty weight. At nearly five pounds, the crown is actually lighter than its predecessor after it was remodeled for George V in 1911. In fact, it’s so heavy that many previous monarchs opted not to wear it at all. Rather, it was carried during the coronation procession and displayed on the altar during the ceremony, while the new monarch opted for a more lightweight crown or tiara. Charles is expected to wear the crown, which was resized for him last year.
But the heavy crown will only rest on his head during the coronation ceremony itself. After he is crowned, Charles will don the Imperial State Crown made for George VI’s 1937 coronation, which symbolizes the monarch’s sovereign power and is worn on state occasions like the annual opening of Parliament. It contains a 317-carat piece of the enormous Cullinan diamond, which was presented as a birthday gift in 1907 to Edward VII by the British colonial government of South Africa. The diamonds cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan behemoth have been hotly contested over the years, with many South Africans claiming the diamonds are—and remain—part of an illegitimate gift because it was bestowed by a brutal colonial power.
Stone of Destiny/Stone of Scone
Given the exquisite handwork of most of the crown jewels, you may be surprised at a plain, sandstone slab of rock given prominent display during the event. Known as the Stone of Destiny or the Stone of Scone, the rock is a symbol of the Scottish monarchy and has been in use since at least the 13th century. It represents the king’s role as monarch not just of England and Ireland, but of Scotland.
Known as the “speaking stone,” Irish and Scottish monarchs supposedly stood on the unassuming rock as they were crowned. It was brought to Westminster Abbey after Edward I’s Scottish victory in 1296, and briefly spirited back north to Glasgow in 1950, when Scottish nationalists “kidnapped” the stone. In 1996, the stone was formally returned to Scotland, which displays it at Edinburgh Castle and lends it back to the monarch for coronations.
Coronation Spoon
Among the rarest of the regalia treasures is a two-chambered gold spoon decorated with pearls and monsters’ heads. The spoon, which first appears in royal inventories in 1349, escaped destruction after the 17th-century civil war when it was purchased by a servant of Charles I for 16 shillings and later returned to Charles II for his 1661 coronation. At a critical point in the ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury will pour holy oil into the spoon, then anoint Charles’ hands, chest, and head in a sacrament that emulates the biblical anointing of Solomon.
Sword of State
Among the royal symbols held by the sovereign during the coronation is the Sword of State—the same lavish silver sword used during Charles’ 1969 investiture as the Prince of Wales.
Symbolizing the monarch’s authority and ability to use power on behalf of the state, the sword isn’t the only weapon used in the ceremony. As the king processes in to the abbey, he’ll be accompanied by the Sword of Temporal Justice, the Sword of Spiritual Justice, and the Sword of Mercy.
The scepters
Encrusted with gold, emeralds, diamonds, and rubies, the king’s scepters are one of the kingdom’s most potent symbols of power. The first, known as the Sovereign’s Scepter, represents the king’s temporal power. The gold rod is tipped with an enormous heart-shaped enclosure that holds Cullinan I, a 530.2-carat diamond cut also known as the Star of Africa—another contested Cullinan diamond.
During the ceremony, Charles III will also be presented with a scepter that symbolizes the monarch’s religious rule. Known as the Rod of Equity and Mercy, this scepter is topped with an enamel dove that symbolizes the Holy Spirit.
Coronation Bed
It’s unclear whether Charles will engage in one coronation tradition that doesn’t take place in Westminster Abbey: spending the night before the ceremony in a lavish bed in the Speaker’s House in the Parliament of Westminster. Traditionally, the Speaker of the House of Commons invited the new sovereign to sleep in the state bed before the coronation.
The magnificent bed is carved of walnut with gilt accents and a red canopy. It was built in 1859, but mysteriously disappeared from the Speaker’s House in the 1940s, only to turn up at the home of a Welsh family who had bought it at auction during the 1960s and had no idea of its purpose. They sold the bed back to Parliament in the 1980s, and it's awaited a sleepy future monarch in London ever since.
