5 things to watch out for during King Charles III’s coronation | World News

The coronation of King Charles III was an opportunity to bring people together history and grandeur monarchy, but these traditions are also fraught with potential controversy, as he seeks to show that the monarchy can still function in modern Britain.

new king These challenges have been recognized by adapting the coronation celebration to today’s realities.

The coronation will be shorter and more inclusive than his mother’s in 1953. faith leader For the first time, someone from outside the Church of England will play an active role in the ceremony.people from all four countries in the UK, and Commonwealth of Nationswill participate.

Here are five artifacts that will play a central role in Saturday’s event.

Coronation Chair and Scones

When King Charles III is crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, he will ascend to the pinnacle of more than 1,500 years of Irish, Scottish and British history.

The crown will sit on Charles’ head when he sits in the coronation chair, which is suspended above the scone stone (pronounced “scoon”) – the sacred sandstone slab on which Scottish kings are crowned. The chair has been part of every coronation since 1308.

The 2.05-meter (6 ft 9 in) high chair is made of oak and was originally covered with gold leaf and stained glass. The gold has long since worn away, and the chair is now covered in graffiti, including a note that reads “P. Abbott slept in this chair July 5-6, 1800.”

After Edward I forcibly removed the artifact from Scotland in the late 13th century and moved it to an abbey, a chair was specially built to hold the Scone Stone, known to the Scots as the Stone of Destiny. However, the history of this stone goes back much further. Fergus Mor MacEirc, founder of the Scottish royal lineage, is said to have taken the piece with him when he moved his seat from Ireland to Scotland around AD 498, according to Westminster Abbey Stone. Before that, it was used as the coronation stone of Irish kings.

Prime Minister John Major returned the gem to Scotland in 1996, with the understanding that it would return to England for a future coronation. In recent days, the stone was temporarily removed from its current home in Edinburgh Castle under the supervision of Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, before being transported to the abbey, where a ceremony was held. A special ceremony was held to commemorate its return.

coronation spoon

The gilt silver coronation spoon is the only coronation piece to have survived the English Civil War. After King Charles I was executed in 1649, the rest of the collection was either melted down or sold off as Parliament sought to abolish the monarchy forever.

The spoon is the centerpiece of the most sacred part of the coronation ceremony, and the Archbishop of Canterbury pours holy oil from an eagle-shaped ewer or flask into the spoon, which is then anointed on the king’s hands, chest and head.

Originating from the biblical story of King Solomon’s anointing, the ritual was originally intended to affirm the monarch’s direct appointment by God. Although the monarch is no longer considered holy, the ceremony affirms his status as the supreme ruler of the Church of England.

The 26.7cm (10.5in) spoon is thought to have been made in the 12th century for King Henry II or King Richard I and may have originally been used to mix water and wine, according to the Royal Collection Trust.

Cullinan Diamond

Two gemstones cut from the Cullinan Diamond – the largest rough diamond ever found – will feature prominently at the coronation, sparking controversy the royal family would prefer to avoid.

For many in South Africa, where the rough stones were discovered in 1905, the gems were symbols of colonial oppression under British rule and should be returned.

Cullinan I is a massive 530.2-carat pear-shaped gem set in the Sovereign Scepter with the Cross. On Saturday, the scepter will be handed to Charles as a symbol of his earthly power.

Cullinan II, a 317.4 carat cushion-shaped gemstone, is set on the obverse of the Imperial Crown that Charles will wear when he leaves Westminster Abbey.

Charles sidestepped similar controversy when Buckingham Palace announced his wife camillawill not wear Queen Elizabeth’s crown on coronation day.

The crown is set with the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is claimed by India, Pakistan and Iran. After the conquest of Punjab in 1849, 11-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh was forced to surrender the gemstone, which became part of the Crown Jewels.

British stone.edward’s crown

The climactic moment of the coronation takes place when the Archbishop of Canterbury places St Edward’s crown on Charles’ head.

Because of its importance as the centerpiece of a coronation, it will be the only time during the monarch’s reign that the solid gold tiara will be worn, complete with a purple velvet hat, sable frieze and crossed arches topped with a cross.

After the ceremony, Charles will exchange the 2.08kg (4.6lb) tiara for the Imperial tiara, which weighs about half as much, and send it back to Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth II has said that even the lighter tiaras are tricky because if she doesn’t keep her head straight as she reads her annual speech at the Opening of Parliament, the crown will fall off.

“Tiaras have some flaws, but other than that they are very important things,” the late Queen told Sky News in 2018, with a flicker of a smile on her face.

The current St Edward’s Crown was made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661 and has been used at every coronation since. It is a replica of the original crown, which was created in the 11th century and melted down after Charles I’s execution in 1649.

The sparkling stones in the crown include tourmalines, white and yellow topaz, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, peridots, zircons, spinels and aquamarines.

According to the Royal Collection Trust, until the early 20th century, the crown jewels were rented gemstones, which were returned after the coronation. It was permanently set with semi-precious stones prior to the coronation of George V in 1911.

golden state coach

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will return to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach, a 261-year-old antique known for its comfortable ride and luxurious décor.

Built in 1762 during the reign of George III, the carriage has been used at every coronation since 1831.

It’s made of wood and plated with gold leaf, from the cherubs on the roof to the Greek god of the sea on each wheel. The only things that are not gilded are the side panels with paintings of Roman gods and goddesses, and of course the interior trimmed in satin and velvet.

But the coach is heavy — four tons — and old, meaning it can only travel at walking speeds.

While it looked luxurious, the coach was notoriously bumpy because it was suspended by belts rather than modern metal springs.

The late queen was not a fan.

“Horrible! It’s not travel friendly at all,” she told Sky News in 2018. “Not very comfortable.”

That’s one reason why Charles and Camilla will attend the coronation aboard a Diamond Jubilee State Coach equipped with hydraulic shock absorbers, heating and air conditioning.