UK Coronation jewels

India became independent of the British on August 15th, 1947. However, colonial practices linger in several aspects of Indian society and governance. We follow Victorian practices and morality in more ways than one. Therefore, had it not been for the IPL Cricket match yesterday afternoon, several Indian homes would have tuned in live, to see the Coronation of Charles III, the king of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations. Facts such as the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was the first Hindu to read the Bible during the UK coronation ceremony and why the Dabbawalas of Mumbai bought coronation gifts for King Charles III, dominated the news. However, I am more interested in the coronation jewels than the ceremony. Hence this post.

Coronation jewels

Coronation jewels are jewellery and jewelled objects (regalia) used in the coronation of the royal family of UK. They are made of precious metals and studded with gemstones – often “acquired” from around the world. The following are the regalia used at Westminster Abbey on the 6th May, 2023 during the coronation of King Charles III and Queen consort Camilla. They include crowns, sceptres, bracelets, orb and a coronation glove.

There is also a gold coronation spoon used to anoint the king with holy oil. A gold Ampulla shaped like a eagle goes along with it. Apart from this, there are golden spurs, a gold carriage, an embroidered anointing screen and three swords.

What did the Royal couple wear to the coronation?

The king initially wore a a dark maroon/crimson velvet surcoat edged with golden lace. On top he wore a fur white robe of state. During anointment he changed into a white robe (Colobium Sidonis) showcasing purity. Later he wore a golden supertunica with a golden eagle clasp. Finally, he wore the purple robe of estate and gold along with the short robe of state. The influence of Roman and Byzantine aesthetics is unmistakable in terms of colour and material as the garments were made centuries ago and passed down ceremonially.

Queen consort Camilla wore a white and gold Bruce Oldfield couture dress. Her diamond Garrad necklace and earrings belonged to Queen Victoria and was worn by Queen Elizabeth II for her coronation. The necklace contains 25 brilliant cut diamonds and a center drop of the necklace is the Lahore diamond.

Imperial State Crown and Queen Mary’s Crown

The King wore the Imperial state crown while the queen consort wore Queen Mary’s crown both brimmed with ermine fur. She gave the Kohinoor diamond a miss, knowing fully well the controversies that surround it. They were replaced by the Cullian III and Cullian IV diamonds. The arches of this crown can be removed and only the bottom ring can be worn as a circlet. This is what Queen Mary did for her son’s coronation in 1937. Camilla had 2 of the arches removed for this edition.

The Imperial State Crown was first worn by King George VI in 1937. Amongst its 2868 diamonds is the Cullinan II diamond. The other famous gems in this crown are the Black Prince’s Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire and St. Edwards Sapphire.

Sovereign’s Orb

This is gold globe on top of which is a cross. It is embellished with pearls, diamonds, and coloured gemstones. The orb symbolises that sentiment that the rulers derive their power from God.

Bracelets of sincerity and wisdom

Specifically known as armill or armilla, these are medieval gold bracelets with a lining of velvet in red colour. They have basse-taille and Champlevé enamelling on them. Basse-taille (bahss-tah-ee) and Champlevé are techniques where low relief carvings on the metal surface are filled with enamel. These are not worn. just “acknowledged.”

Rings

The ring with the ruby cross is a symbol of kingly dignity. It is sometimes called the “Wedding ring of England” as its worn on the fourth finger. It features an octagonal sapphire with one square and four rectangular rubies. King Charles III also wore a his trademark signet ring on his little finger. The diamond and ruby beauty is Queen Adelaide’s consort Coronation Ring and was worn by the Queen consort.

Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross

There are two sceptres – one with a dove and the other with a cross. The diamond in the heart shaped frame is the Cullinan I diamond. You must have guess by now that the Cullinan is the largest diamond ever found.

Watch the entire Coronation ceremony here. I have positioned the clip at the moment where each of the coronation jewels are brought out.

For those of you interested in learning more about these coronation jewels, I recommend visiting the Royal collection trust to see the close up images and videos of these objects. I have planned to visit London later this summer to see these jewels along with other museum exhibits. However, that flopped, so here I am writing this post while dreaming of royal jewels and international travel.

I hope you found it interesting

Cheers

6 responses to “UK Coronation jewels”

kim kreutzberg

08/05/2023

thank you Divya for this lovely article…i enjoyed reading this!

1. Divya
  
  09/05/2023
  
  Thank you, I am able you enjoyed reading it.
  
Vijaya N.

09/05/2023

Thank you, for the wonderful summary of the Uk Coronation jewels .
Nice to see the JEWELLRIES in close up.

1. Divya
  
  09/05/2023
  
  I wrote it specially for you!
  
Rozantia Petkova

09/05/2023

All the time I was thinking how unfair it is to wear some of this gorgeous jewelry only once in a lifetime 🙂 The sentence about the cricket game was so funny 🙂 Though I realize the importance of keeping the statute of monarchy.

1. Divya
  
  09/05/2023
  
  Yes, it is one of those instances where one British tradition overpowers another.
  This “wear it once” and lock it away problem is precisely the reason stated by the Royals while choosing existing items to wear and not ordering new jewellery for themselves.