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The historic chairs being reused at King Charles III's Coronation
As the country prepares to celebrate King Charles III's Coronation on Saturday 6th May 2023, Buckingham Palace has given royal fans a first-look at the historic chairs that will be used during the ceremony.
As is tradition, St Edward’s Chair, also known as the Coronation Chair will be used for the moment of crowning this weekend at Westminster Abbey. Made over 700 years ago from Baltic oak, this chair was first used at the Coronation of King Edward II.
The King and The Queen Consort will also be seated in the Chairs of Estate and the Throne Chairs at different points during the service. In the interest of sustainability, the King has chosen to reuse the Chairs of Estate and Throne Chairs from the Royal Collection which were made for previous Coronations. Instead of creating new chairs, the King has asked that these be conserved, restored and adapted for his ceremony.
The Chairs of Estate were originally made in 1953 by London-based White, Allom and Company for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2nd June 1953. The Throne Chairs, which are used during the Enthroning and the Homage, were made for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on 12th May 1937.
In preparation for King Charles' Coronation, the Chairs of Estate, which have been on display in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace for many years, have been restored by Gilding and Furniture Conservators from the Royal Collection Trust. They have cleaned, restored and consolidated the giltwood frames, while a new silk damask has been woven by the Humphries Weaving Company to the same pattern with which they were originally upholstered. This was done to replace the cyphers of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with The King and The Queen Consort. The cyphers which were removed will be kept secure in the Royal Collection.
Previously, the Throne Chairs were upholstered in crimson velvet with the Royal Arms of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. For the Coronation, the crimson velvet has been replaced with a new velvet and the chairs reupholstered by the AT Cronin Workshop Ltd. Featuring a new silk braid and trellis fringe, replicating the original trimmings of the Throne Chairs, the work has been woven by the team at Heritage Trimmings Ltd. The silk was produced by The Humphries Weaving Company, and the silk for the fringe has been specially dyed by Gainsborough Silks.
The Royal School of Needlework conserved the original embroidered Coat of Arms on the King's chair before transferring it onto the new velvet. Plus, they added the new Coat of Arms of The Queen Consort which has been hand embroidered onto the Throne Chair.
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