King George V and Queen Mary at their coronation in 1911. Photo / Getty Images
King George V and Queen Mary at their coronation in 1911. Photo / Getty Images
The jewellery and regalia on display at the coronation will represent royal history dating back hundreds of years.
The Queen Consort is likely to wear a series of invaluable pieces that were worn at the coronations of many of her predecessors.
While Buckingham Palace has not yet confirmed what jewellery Camilla has chosen to wear on May 6, it may include the coronation necklace and earrings created for Queen Victoria.
Similarly, the symbols of sovereignty presented to both the King and the Queen Consort have strong historical significance, representing both the powers and responsibilities of the monarch.
The coronation regalia, most recently used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, date back centuries and include the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, the Sovereign’s Orb, and the Coronation Spoon.
The coronation necklace was made by Garrard for Queen Victoria and presented to her in 1858.
It consists of 25 graduated brilliant diamonds with a 22.48 carat diamond pendant, known as the Lahore Diamond.
It was worn by several Queen consorts during their coronations; Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, in 1937.
Queen Elizabeth II also wore it for her own coronation in 1953.
The necklace was among several new pieces of jewellery ordered by Queen Victoria to replace some of the items lost when her uncle became the King of Hanover, King Ernst August I, and sought possession of the jewellery that had belonged to Queen Charlotte, his late mother and Queen Victoria’s grandmother.
After a legal battle that lasted almost two decades, the courts ruled in December 1857 that Victoria must hand over several pieces of jewellery to her Hanoverian cousins, including Queen Charlotte’s diamond necklace and earrings.
The new commissions included a trio of diamond bow brooches, as well as a new diamond necklace and earrings.
The diamonds are said to have been taken from “swords and useless things” in the royal collection.
For the necklace, 28 stones were removed from a Garter badge and a sword hilt.
Meanwhile, the Lahore Diamond, which had been set in the Timur Ruby necklace in 1853, was made detachable so it could be used as the pendant.
In 1937, the Lahore Diamond was removed, recut and set temporarily in Queen Elizabeth’s new crown for the coronation.
The diamond was returned to the necklace for the state portrait, by Sir Gerald Kelly, and for the celebratory images taken in July 1939 by Cecil Beaton.
Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Necklace and Earrings. Photo / Getty Images
Coronation earrings
The coronation earrings were also among the new commissions made for Queen Victoria, who wore them often.
They were subsequently worn at the coronations of consorts Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth in 1937.
The drops, which originally formed part of the Indian armlet setting of the controversial Koh-i-Noor, were removed from the Timur Ruby necklace in 1858.
The additional four stones were taken from an aigrette and a garter star.
Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation necklace
This antique diamond collet necklace was given to Queen Elizabeth by her husband, King George VI, to mark their coronation on May 12, 1937.
It was worn on the day along with Queen Victoria’s coronation necklace and two strings of pearls.
Queen Elizabeth II inherited the necklace when her mother died in 2002, and has since loaned it to her daughter-in-law, now the Queen Consort.
Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, was pictured wearing it in an official portrait to mark her 60th birthday in summer 2007. On that occasion, the necklace was shortened from 40 to 31 collets.
She wore it again in March 2008 for a state banquet given for President Sarkozy of France at Windsor Castle.
The Queen Consort’s ring
Both the sovereign and the Queen Consort will be presented with a ring during the coronation ceremony.
This ring was made for the coronation of William IV and Queen Adelaide in 1831, and since Edward VII’s coronation in 1902, all Queen Consorts have worn it.
As has been tradition since the thirteenth century, it includes a ruby as the principal stone.
It comprises an extended octagonal mixed-cut ruby in a gold setting, unbacked, within a border of 14 cushion-shaped brilliants set transparent in silver collets. The gold shank is set with 14 graduated mixed-cut rubies.
The concept of a consort’s ring dates back centuries.
Dr George Gross, visiting research fellow in theology at King’s College London and a co-founder of the British Coronations Project with Dr David J Crankshaw, said: “The Victorian compiler of coronation records and antiquary, Leopold Wickham Legg, claimed that Matilda of Flanders, Queen of England and consort of William I, had received a ring of gold with a sapphire from her Westminster Coronation in 1068.
“The rumour was that her tomb was ransacked during the Wars of Religion in the 16th century and the Coronation Ring was found still on her hand.”
Queen Victoria had her own coronation ring made in 1838. Photo / Getty Images
Queen Victoria’s ring
Queen Victoria had her own coronation ring made in 1838 because the ring made for her uncle, William IV, was too big.
However, Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, the royal goldsmiths, misunderstood the traditional wording of the rubric for the coronation and made the ring for the Queen’s little finger, rather than her ring finger.
As such, it was too small and the Archbishop had to force it onto the correct finger.
Queen Victoria had to soak her hand in iced water after the ceremony. She later wrote in her journal: “I had the greatest difficulty to take it off again - which I at last did with great pain.”
The ring was later inscribed “Queen Victoria’s Coronation Ring 1838″.
The King William IV buckle bracelets
Another option for the Queen Consort could be these bracelets featuring four rows of diamonds linked by two large enamelled buckles.
According to the Court Jeweller website, one features the cypher of King William IV and the other of his wife, Queen Adelaide.
Both Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth wore the bracelets at their coronations in 1911 and 1937 respectively.
Queen Elizabeth wearing the King William IV buckle bracelet. Photo / Getty Images
The Sovereign’s ring
The Sovereign’s ring has been used at every British coronation since William IV’s in 1831, bar Queen Victoria’s.
It is placed on the fourth finger by the Archbishop as a symbol of “kingly dignity” during the investiture and serves to recognise the “marriage” between monarch and state.
The ring appears to be both a very significant part of the Anglo-Saxon and also the Norman coronation tradition.
Its origins can be found in early coronation orders that pre-date the 14th century manuscript Liber Regalis, or Royal Book.
Dr Gross said: “Whilst there is no tradition of British monarchs crowning themselves, the concept of consecration was embedded in coronation ritual.
“Not least because a coronation was seen in a marital context, involving a special ring. The ring or royal signet came to symbolise the marriage of the monarch to the state and the inseparability or indivisibility of the crown from the sovereign. This coronation-marriage tradition continued under the Tudors and beyond.”
One account of Charles II’s coronation in 1661, by John Ogilby, revealed: “Then the Master of the Jewel-House delivered the Ring to the Arch-Bishop, who put it on the fourth finger of the King’s right hand …”
Queen Victoria left both rings, and her own coronation ring, to the Crown in 1901, and all three were deposited in the Tower of London, with the other Crown Jewels, by George V in March 1919.
The Coronation Spurs
The Gold Spurs are the first symbols of sovereignty presented to the monarch.
They were first included among the English coronation ornaments in 1189, at the coronation of Richard I and symbolised knighthood.
The existing spurs were made in 1661 for Charles II, but were altered in 1820 for George IV, when new textiles replaced the earlier buckles and straps.
Each features a Tudor rose, with gold embroidery and a velvet-covered strap.
In mediaeval and early modern times, they were fastened to the monarch’s feet, but in 19th and 20th century coronations, they have been held to the ankles of the sovereign, presented and then placed on the altar.
The right to carry the spurs is part of the Court of Claims decision making process.
The jewelled Sword of Offering on display in the Jewel House inside the Tower of London. Photo / Getty Images
The Jewelled Sword of Offering
Next, the sword is presented. Incorporating a design of roses, thistles and shamrocks, it is set with precious stones.
The leather scabbard is entirely encased in sheet gold and lined in red silk velvet.
The design of the sword was suggested by George IV and its £5,988 cost was funded by the King’s privy purse.
It was used during his coronation ceremony in 1821. It was next reused in 1902 by Edward VII and has been used as the Sword of Offering at every subsequent coronation.
The Archbishop blesses the sword and then delivers it to the monarch to be used for the protection of good and the punishment of evil. The sword is then placed on the altar.
These gold armlets are placed on the sovereign’s wrists during the coronation service.
They are referred to as “bracelets of sincerity and wisdom”, and are thought to relate to ancient symbols of knighthood and military leadership.
New armills were made for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 as a symbolic gift from the Commonwealth, replacing the previous pair which had been used since 1661.
Each is fitted with an invisible hinge with a Tudor rose clasp and has a red velvet lining.
The King is thought likely to wear them during his own coronation but may have to have them resized.
The Coronation Armills are referred to as 'bracelets of sincerity and wisdom'. Photo / Getty Images
The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove
The sceptre represents the monarch’s spiritual role.
It is decorated with 285 gemstones, including 94 diamonds, 53 rubies, 10 emeralds, four sapphires and three spinels.
At the top is a gold cross supporting an enamelled dove with outspread wings which represents the Holy Ghost.
The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross
This sceptre represents the sovereign’s temporal power and is associated with good governance.
The sceptre comprises a gold rod in three sections with enamelled collars at the intersections, surmounted by an enamelled heart-shaped structure, which holds a huge drop-shaped diamond, Cullinan I, weighing 530.2 carats.
It was originally made for Charles II in 1661, but has undergone a number of alterations.
An enamelled rose, thistle and shamrock were added to the monde in 1820 for the coronation of George IV, while the Cullinan diamond was added in 1910. The diamond is so heavy that the sceptre had to be reinforced.
The Cullinan I is the largest stone cut from the Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever discovered.
'The Sovereign's Orb and Queen Mary II's Orb', 1953. Photo / Getty Images
The Sovereign’s Orb
The Orb is placed in the right hand of the monarch as they are invested with the symbols of sovereignty before being placed on the altar before the moment of crowning.
The 30cm-wide hollow gold sphere symbolises the Christian world with its cross mounted on a globe.
It is mounted with nine emeralds, 18 rubies, nine sapphires, 365 diamonds, 375 pearls, one amethyst and one glass stone.
The pearls divide the orb into three sections – representing the three continents known in mediaeval times.
The Queen Consort’s Sceptre with Cross
If a sovereign is married at the time of his coronation, it is usual for the Queen Consort to be crowned alongside him.
She will receive some of the same ornaments as her husband, including an orb and two sceptres.
Mary of Modena was the first Queen Consort to participate in the coronation ceremony since the Restoration of the monarchy and was supplied with her own set of regalia.
The sceptre was supplied by the royal goldsmith in 1685 and would originally have been mounted with diamonds and other precious stones hired for the coronation.
They were later replaced with rock crystals. The sceptre has been used by every subsequent Queen Consort.
This sceptre was also supplied in 1685 and has been used by consorts ever since.
The ivory rod is formed of three sections, surmounted by a gold monde and enamelled with the national emblems - a rose, a thistle, a harp and a fleur-de-lis.
