The crown of Saint Edward weighs 2.07 kilos and, therefore, the King of England Charles III will carry it on his head on May 6 only at the time of the coronation. Elizabeth II herself assured in a documentary broadcast by the BBC in 2018 that, with her on reading a speech, “you cannot look down” or “your neck would break”.
If the weight of the three crowns that the heir and Camila will carry is added, it is 3.6 kilos that they will carry on their shoulders at that moment. Gold, silver, platinum, topazes, rubies, amethysts, sapphires… The list is long and includes some of the largest diamonds on the planet. The coronation royalty, coming mostly from the time of Carlos II, is made up of valuable, and also heavy, objects that will play a fundamental role in the celebration of the new kings.
It is a copy of a medieval crown that was cast in 1649 and was made for the coronation of Carlos II in 1661. More than 100 years ago attempts were made to lighten it. With this, it goes from two kilos. In fact, for more than 200 years, it was placed on the altar during the ceremony.
It was used for the last time to crown Elizabeth II in 1953. Then, the Archbishop of Canterbury raised the crown of Saint Edward in his hands to gird it on the queen’s head. Meanwhile, the queen held in her right hand the scepter of the cross and in her right, that of the dove.
It is an object with a long history that has gone through few heads, but very different ones, also in size. For this reason, the crown was removed from the Tower of London, where it is kept, in order to modify it and adapt it to the diameter of Carlos III before the coronation.
Imperial State Crown
Imperial State Crown
Imperial State Crown
Imperial State Crown
It is the crown of change, after the coronation itself, with which Carlos III, who acceded to the throne on September 8, 2022 after the death of his mother, will leave Westminster Abbey.
The history of royal jewels includes comings and goings between monarchs and monarchies, different settings and even different cuts. The jewel in the crown of the British Crown Jewels is the Cullinan diamond, the largest known find and which came from a South African mine. It weighed 600 grams and was ordered carved in 1906 by King Edward VII.
Scepter of the Cross and the Dove
Scepter of the Cross and the Dove
Scepter of the Cross and the Dove
Scepter of the Cross and the Dove
From that great diamond 150 stones were obtained. The largest of them, the Cullinan I, the largest colorless diamond in the world, has been set in the Scepter of the Cross since 1911. Then, the Crown jeweler, Garrard, had to reinforce the piece so that it could support the weight of the gem.
The sceptre, however, dates from 1661 and was made for the coronation of Carlos II. It has been used in all coronations since then and represents temporal power. The monarch holds it in his right hand at the moment of coronation (as seen in the image above of Queen Elizabeth II).
In his left hand he carries the Scepter of the Dove, a less heavy version that represents the spiritual role of the sovereign, with the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit and which has traditionally been known as ‘the Rod of Equity and Mercy’.
In the moments before the coronation, the Orb is placed in the right hand of the monarch, who holds its 1.3 kilos, and then remains on the altar. It represents the power of the sovereign and is composed of a cross placed on a hollow gold globe that symbolizes the Christian world. It is decorated with emeralds, rubies and sapphires surrounded by diamonds and pearls.
Nothing is left to improvisation in an act guided by the ‘Liber Regalis’, a book dating from 1382 and designed to help organize and carry out a coronation.
coronation phases
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Recognition. The monarch introduces himself to the people.
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Oath. He makes promises to his subjects and to God
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Unction. It is blessed with sacred oil.
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Investment. Receive royal regalia, including vestments, spurs, swords, and bracers, as well as an orb, ring, and sceptres.
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Coronation and enthronement.
One of the key moments of the act, and the most sacred, is the anointing with the oil consecrated in Jerusalem that comes out of a golden vessel in the shape of an eagle with open wings that was also made for Carlos II.
The eagle’s head unscrews and the oil flows out of the spout to fall into an anointing spoon, the oldest item of regalia dating from the 12th century and the only surviving piece of royal goldwork from that century.
Crown of Queen Mary
Crown of Queen Mary
Crown of Queen Mary
Crown of Queen Mary
That of May 6, 2023 is the first British coronation in this month since 1601 and also for the first time since 1937 the act will include the coronation of the queen consort, after the case of Queen Elizabeth, wife of George VI. It will also be the first time that a consort’s crown has been reused since the 18th century.
This piece, which can be used without the bows and the velvet cap, is the lightest, at around 600 grams. With her Camila will be crowned, who will also have her own ceremony, simpler.
It is expected that the coronation, to which the kings Felipe and Letizia will attend, will begin at 10:20 a.m., 11:20 a.m. in peninsular time, and can be followed throughout the world (except for the anointing rite, which will be hidden with a screen). The last coronation, that of Elizabeth II, was the first to be broadcast on television and was seen by 27 million Britons. In May 1937, the BBC had already been allowed to broadcast George VI’s on the radio.
For the preparation of this article, the official website of British royalty (
www.royal.uk
), the Royal Collection Trust (
rct.uk
) and that of Westminster Abbey (
www.westminster-abbey.org
).
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