The coronation regalia is at the heart of the crown jewels, locked away in the Tower of London.
The King’s crowning ceremony will be a rare outing for the sacred collection, with dozens of important and symbolic objects to keep an eye out for.
From crowns and swords to sceptres and orbs, here’s what you can expect to see on 6 May as the King and Queen Consort are officially crowned – and what they all mean.
See both the St Edward’s Crown and Queen Mary’s Crown right there in your living room
St Edward’s Crown
Starting with one of the biggest first – literally, as St Edward’s Crown weighs 2.23kg (nearly 5lbs).
This solid gold crown, set with precious stones and fringed with ermine, will be put on the King’s head at the moment of crowning.
That is the only time the crown is worn. Historically it wasn’t allowed out of Westminster Abbey, and so a second crown was made for the monarch to wear as they proceeded out of the coronation ceremony.
The Queen reportedly practised walking with bags of flour on her head to get used to the weight of the crowns.
Imperial state crown
This is the monarch’s “working crown”, worn on formal occasions such as the state opening of parliament.
Like the St Edward’s Crown, it features a plush purple velvet cap beneath its gold arches.
Made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937, the crown is set with 2,868 diamonds as well as 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 269 pearls.
According to legend, one of its stones, the black prince ruby, was worn by Henry V in his helmet at the Battle of Agincourt.
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Queen Mary’s crown
The Queen Consort will also be crowned during the coronation and will wear Queen Mary’s crown.
It’s been moved from the Tower of London, where it is normally kept, to be resized and updated to suit her preferences; the number of arches will be reduced from eight to four.
The crown was originally commissioned for the coronation of Mary of Teck as Queen Consort at the coronation of King George V in 1911.
The controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond will also be removed as part of the modification, to avoid an unwelcome reminder of the British Empire.
After the coronation, the Queen Consort will be known as Queen Camilla.
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Ampulla and spoon
The gold ampulla, cast in the form of an eagle with outspread wings, and the coronation spoon are used for the most sacred part of the service – the anointing of the monarch with holy oil.
The eagle’s head unscrews so it can be filled with oil and there is a tiny hole in its beak from which oil is poured into the spoon.
Legend has it Thomas Becket saw the objects in a dream, presented to him by the Virgin Mary to use to anoint future kings.
The ampulla. Pic: Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023.
The 12th-century spoon is the oldest object used in the coronation and a “great survivor”, according to Kathryn Jones, senior curator at the Royal Collection Trust.
Almost all regalia was melted down in 1649 during the English Civil War but the spoon escaped, bought by a man who looked after Charles I’s wardrobe and later sold back to Charles II.
The archbishop pours oil from the ampulla into the spoon, then dips two fingers in the oil to anoint the head, breast and hands of the monarch.
The holy oil – chrism – was consecrated at a ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in March.
The chrism oil consecrated in Jerusalem
It was created using olives which had been harvested from groves on the Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge which runs from Jerusalem’s Old City which has major religious symbolism for Christians and Jews.
It’s perfumed with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber as well as orange blossom.
The coronation spoon. Pic: Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023.
St Edward’s staff
The staff is described as an “enigmatic object” by Charles Farris, public historian for Historic Royal Palaces.
That’s because no one is quite sure what it was originally used for.
In 1660, regalia was remade for the coronation of Charles II after it had all been destroyed, and despite the purpose and appearance of the staff having been forgotten, it too was reconstructed.
It has continued to be carried in coronation processions although it serves no function in the ceremony.
St Edward’s staff. Pic: Royal Collection Trust
Three swords
The swords of mercy, spiritual justice and temporal justice are likely to be some of the first objects you see in the coronation, as they are carried – upright and unsheathed – before the sovereign in the procession into Westminster Abbey.
The swords symbolise royal powers and responsibilities and the sword of mercy has a symbolically blunt end.
The swords of temporal justice, mercy and spiritual Justice.
Pic: Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023
Jewelled sword of offering, spurs and armills
The sword of offering is one of the objects the sovereign is invested with during the ceremony, after the anointing.
The King will be robed and presented with a number of symbolic objects, including the sword, spurs and armills, or bracelets.
The spurs represent the knightly values of protecting the weak and the church while the armills symbolise the bond the monarch has with their people and the values of sincerity and wisdom.
The jewelled sword of offering. Pic: Royal Collection Trust
Two sceptres
The sceptre with cross represents temporal and spiritual power. It is placed in the monarch’s right hand and they keep hold of it during crowning and throning and carry it in the procession.
The sceptre with dove goes in the left hand and represents spiritual power, with the dove symbolising the holy spirit.
Sceptres with dove and cross. Pic: Royal Collection Trust
Orb
The orb is a symbol of the globe, divided into the three continents known of in England in Medieval times and representing worldly and Christian power.
The sovereign’s orb Pic: Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023
Sovereign’s ring
The sovereign’s ring features rubies set in the shape of a St George’s cross on top of a sapphire.
The sovereign’s ring. Pic: Royal Collection Trust
The ring symbolises dignity, faith and the monarch’s commitment to their people and the church.
Queen Consort’s sceptre with dove
The Queen Consort will carry two sceptres, including an ivory rod topped with a dove, symbolising equity and mercy.
Queen Consort’s rod with dove. Pic: Royal Collection Trust
The ivory staff the Queen Consort will use was made in 1685 for Queen Mary of Modena, the wife of James II.
There were reports the sceptre would not be used given the Prince of Wales’s campaigning against the ivory trade, but Buckingham Palace confirmed it will be part of the coronation.
And then there are the outfits…
King Charles will wear his grandfather George VI’s Robes of State and Estate from the coronation in 1937, which are almost 90 years old.
They have been conserved and prepared for the occasion.
A Robe of State is worn by a British monarch on state occasions, such as during the State Opening of Parliament.
Here is more detail on the robes, including the ones Queen Camilla will wear.
To stay up-to-date with the coronation – including details like timings of the day, news, features and analysis – bookmark our special coronation page for all the latest: skynews.com/coronation.
You can also watch live Sky News coverage throughout the day on Freeview channel 233, Sky channel 501, Virgin 603 and BT 313. Want to catch it in UHD? All the details here.
