This is the coronation record of Charles III: 21 meters, handwritten and, for the first time since 1308, with vegan paper

On the occasion of the first anniversary, the kings of England, Charles and Camilla, have contemplated for the first time the official record of the events of their coronation, held on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey, in London. The couple praised the incessant work of heraldry expert Timothy Noad and calligrapher Stephanie Gill, who presented the royal document at Buckingham Palace this Wednesday, May 1, 2024, as reported from the palace a day later. “Thank you very much, I cannot express my gratitude. They deserve to have a glass of something strong,” the monarch joked when he was handed the papyrus, a tradition that dates back to the 14th century. This is the second public event for Carlos III, 75, after having resumed his agenda this week after being treated for prostate cancer that he himself announced at the beginning of February. Last Tuesday, as soon as he recovered his royal commitments, he visited a cancer center in London as a sign of support for those suffering from this disease.

The official responsible for royal records at the British Ministry of Justice, Antonia Romeo, and who signs the record, explained to the kings that the so-called Coronation Scroll It consists of 30 pages with about 11,600 words, sewn in a special stitch and rolled up, with a length of 21 meters. They detail the details of such an important date: who attended and how it developed. All handwritten and decorated with historical symbols. But not all guests have had the privilege of appearing in the writings of the document, which will be sealed and stored in the National Archives of the United Kingdom. There are no records that artists like Ant, Dec or Katy Perry were present. There’s not even a shout-out for Lionel Richie. They have all been reduced to a general heading of “Other Groups.” Furthermore, the anti-monarchy protests that happened that day are not mentioned either.

Stephanie Gill, in charge of calligraphy each of the words that appear on the scroll, assumed during the presentation ceremony that it has not been an easy job. She worked for 56 days, without weekend breaks, willing to maintain the rhythm, the phone off and calm sustained with breathing exercises and classical music, according to what she said during the presentation. “It was very intense,” said the graphic artist after boasting that the result “looks like a work of art.” “Is there a spelling mistake?” the monarch joked after admiring the enormous scroll, which, according to him, “goes on for miles.” In fact, there was a spelling mistake: only a dot was missing in one letter Yo on the pages of hand-stitched copper writing, which Gill had managed to detect.

Baptized as the “Coronation Roll”, for the first time in its history this record is vegan: it is made on paper, instead of parchment made with animal skin – as in the coronations that precede it – by preference of the king, who always has been reluctant to use substances from living beings in his desire to show sensitivity to animal cruelty. Something that could already be seen at his coronation, when the monarch refused to use oils of animal origin for his anointing. Instead, he used an ointment created from olives harvested from two groves planted in Jerusalem. The resulting olive oil was scented with essences of sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, bujuí, amber, sesame and orange blossom. The traditional formula, which dated back hundreds of years, and with which his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, anointed herself in 1953, contained African civet oil, extracted from the anal glands of these small feline mammals, and ambergris. from the intestines of whales.

The now-unveiled coronation record includes illustrations by Tim Noad. In addition to illustrating this historical document, he is the designer of the portrait of the king that will begin to be seen on new banknotes, public buildings, uniforms and, eventually, on new ordinary mailboxes.

Examining the document spread on a table at Buckingham Palace, Queen Camilla joked: “My God, I’m not even going to try to read it without my glasses.” Commenting later that in the past these types of scrolls were written in Latin and French, she added: “At least this one is in English.” The kings were also able to see the official records of previous coronations, including the first of Edward II in 1308, William II, Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II. For the first time in its centenary history, the Coronation Scroll of the current monarchs It is also available in digital version on a new web page created for it. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, who was in charge of presenting the Roll to the King, said: “For the first time, this Coronation Scroll “It will be digitized, bringing the tradition into the 21st century and giving as many people as possible the opportunity to see it.”