On May 6 , King Charles III and Camilla , queen consort , will be officially coronate the new sovereign monarchs of the United Kingdom . Thecoronationceremony will be broadcast live around the public as imperial watchers tune in for hours of pageantry and gaudery rooted incenturies of British tradition .
As part of the ceremony inWestminster Abbey , the purple couple will be anointed with holy oil from Jerusalem , and presented withCoronation Regaliafrom the jacket crown jewels , include Crown , scepters and golden orbs . Here ’s a quick explainer of just some of the invaluable pieces you might tell apart at the enthronization .
1. Coronation Spoon and Ampulla
The single erstwhile target on display during the coronation will be the silvern - begild spoonful used to inunct both King Charles III and Camilla , queen consort , with oil , a custom dating back to Old Testament times . Thecoronation spoonwas crafted by majestic goldsmiths in the 12th century .
The spoonful is so much old than the rest of the Coronation Regalia because it was the only object to survive the English Civil Wars , when anti - monarchy revolutionaries conduct by Oliver Cromwell fade down the invaluable objective to make coins . A loyalistheld on to the spoonand returned it to King Charles II when the monarchy was restored .
The holy oil used in Charles III ’s ceremony was conjure from olive gathered on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem , and wasconsecratedat the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the occasion . The oil will be teem from a favorable Ampulla or flask regulate like an eagle . The genuine anointment willnot be broadcaston television set in maintain with custom regarding the sacredness of the act .
2. St. Edward’s Crown
You ’ll see several crowns during the coronation . St. Edward ’s Crown , the near 5 - pound ( 2.07 - kilogram ) , self-colored Au , jewel - incrust peak , is the one that will be placed on King Charles III ’s head at the moment of his coronation . That ’s the only clock time the British monarch gets to wear the St. Edward ’s Crown , which is otherwise locked away with the respite of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London .
The original St. Edward ’s Crown , named after the pious eleventh - century kingEdward the Confessor , was destroy during the English Civil Wars . The " new " crest , made in 1661 , boasts 400 gems including rubies , amethyst and lazuline .
3. Imperial State Crown
TheImperial State Crown , decked out with more than 2,800 adamant , is the one King Charles III will wear as he leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation . If it looks conversant , the Imperial State Crown was on presentation atop the lateQueen Elizabeth II’scasket during her 2022 funeral .
Made in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI , the Imperial State Crown count virtually 3 Lebanese pound ( 1.28 kilograms ) and is worn by the monarch for special social occasion like the annual State Opening ofParliament . Queen Elizabeth oncejokedthat the crown was so heavy that she could n’t look down while wear it or her " neck would break . "
One of the gem weigh down the Imperial State Crown is the Cullinan II rhomb ( 317.4 carat ) , the second - openhanded diamond cutting from the noted ( and controversial)Cullinan Diamond , the expectant raw diamond ever discovered at 3,106 carats .
4. Sovereign’s Scepter With Cross
The Cullinan I , the big prune colourless adamant in the world ( 530.2 carats ) , was set into theSovereign ’s Scepterin 1911 . The sceptre itself dates from 1661 and was made for the investiture of King Charles II after the refurbishment of the monarchy .
During the coronation ceremonial occasion , the archbishop of Canterbury will hand the Sovereign Scepter to Charles andsay :
The Sovereign ’s Scepter with Cross is one of two sceptre that will be handed to King Charles III as part of the Coronation investiture . The second sceptre istopped with a doverepresenting the Holy Spirit . Camilla , queen choir , will also be presented with two scepter during the ceremony , include onemade of ivorythat ’s traditionally pay to the queen choir .
5. Sovereign’s Orb
This most 3 - pound ( 1.32 - kilogram ) golden globe topped with a cross represents the monarch ’s sovereign rule over the Christian world . During the ceremony , theSovereign Orbwill be rank in King Charles III ’s right hand and then actuate to the in high spirits Lord’s table for the enthronement itself .
The three incision of the Sovereign ’s Orb — separated by rows of diamonds , pearls , rubies and sapphire — represent the three Continent known to the gothic world .
When the archbishop of Canterbury hands Charles the globe , he will say :
6. Queen Mary’s Crown
This arresting jacket will be wear upon by Camilla , queen choir , as she leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation ceremony . Made for the coronation of Queen Mary in 1911,Queen Mary ’s Crownwas originally coiffe with the remarkable Koh - i - noor diamond , but Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Camilla ’s summit will not hold the Oliver Stone , which has become asymbol of Britain ’s glowering colonial past .
7. Stone of Destiny
TheStone of Destiny , also sleep with as the Stone of Scone , hails from Scotland , where it was used in royal coronations for centuries . The 335 - pound ( 152 - kilogram)rectangular stone was stolenfrom Scotland in 1296 by King Edward I of England , who fashioned the Oliver Stone into the seat of a new coronation chair .
For 800 twelvemonth , new British monarchs have sat upon the Stone of Destiny during their enthronisation ceremonial occasion . The rock was formally returned to Scotland in 1996 , but the Scottish government ( which ispart of the U.K. ) graciously lends it to Westminster Abbey for coronations . Thecoronation chairwhere the stone was once stash away , has been in consumption at the investiture ceremony since 1308 and will be used again for King Charles ' coronation .
8. Two Horse-drawn Carriages
King Charles III and Camilla , queen choir , will travel in not one , buttwo lavish buck - drawn carriagesMay 6 .
In the morning , the royal duo will ride from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in theDiamond Jubilee State Coach , made in 2012 to immortalize the late Queen Elizabeth ’s sixtieth class on the throne . The interior of the ornate , begild manager contains woodwind instrument from Buckingham Palace , St. Paul ’s Cathedral and even a piece of thehistoric warship Mary Rose . It will be drawn by six " Windsor Greys , " the name given to royal horse cavalry .
After the ceremony , the King and queen choir will turn on back to Buckingham Palace in theGold State Coach , a 4 - ton ( 3.6 metric - ton ) coach build up in 1760 for King George III that ’s been used in every coronation since 1831 . The coach was last used during Queen Elizabeth ’s Platinum Jubilee ( 70th day of remembrance ) in 2022 . It ’s so operose that eight Windsor Greys are required to commit it and they are n’t allowed to dampen a walking pace .
