King Charles’ coronation to feature crown, other objects more than 300 years old

There will be a lot to look for during King Charles’ coronation ceremony on May 6. The event will be beautifully decorated and the pageantry will create quite a spectacle. There are some unique objects that hold particular significance that will be used throughout the ceremony, some more than 300 years old, said Binghamton University, State University of New York professor Andrew Walkling. 

“Many of the objects associated with the coronation, like the crown, the scepter, the orb, actually were constructed for the coronation of Charles the second in 1661,” said Walkling. 

The previous objects had been melted down in the mid-17th century by the Republican regime, which believed they would never be ruled by a king again.

“When they did get a new king, they had to build new objects that looked like the much older medieval ones, and that’s still what they use today,” said Walkling.

One of four objects that the king will be presented with is the Sovereign’s Orb. It can be traced back to classical times in ancient Rome; a ruler held it to symbolize the power of cradling the world, explained Walkling.

“In Christian times, the orb is surmounted with a cross,” said Walkling. “The ruler holds the world, but Christ rules over the world.”

The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross is another one of these symbolic objects. Similar to the orb, it holds a dual meaning. In one regard, it represents the authority of the ruling party as the head of state. It also represents the monarch’s religious authority as the head of the Church of England. The large cross at the top of the sceptre symbolizes the monarch’s commitment to upholding the Christian faith and serving as a spiritual leader for the people. In modern society, these are more symbolic sentiments, but they can be traced back to a time when royalty held full and absolute power.

The most recognizable of these objects is the royal crown. There are two: St. Edward’s Crown and the Imperial State Crown. St. Edward’s Crown is significantly heavier, so it will only be worn in the official crowning ritual. The lighter of the two, the Imperial State Crown, will be worn during the procession, said Walkling.

“Both of them are what we call imperial crowns, which means that it’s not just a crown around the head, but it has these four pieces that come up and meet at the center above the head,” he said. “A closed crown represents imperial power, as opposed to an open crown, which we often associate more with fairy tales.”

The two different crowns are worn at different points in the ceremony. They have been preserved in the Tower of London and must be resized for Charles, the precious metals carefully molded by jewelers.