Learn About and Colour The Coronation Regalia - The Coronation of King Charles III | Mum In The Madhouse

Learn About and Colour The Coronation Regalia – The Coronation of King Charles III

Learn About and Colour The Coronation Regalia that will be used for The Coronation of King Charles III. The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will take place on 6th May 2023 will take place at Westminster Abbey, London. The celebrations will continue over the weekend as Monday has been declared a bank holiday by the Prime minister. The coronation is centred around a solemn religious ceremony and has remained largely unchanged for over a thousand years.

The objects used during the ceremony are called the Coronation Regalia: These sacred and unique objects represent the powers and responsibilities of the monarch.  The Coronation Regalia were most recently used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and include the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, the Sovereign’s Orb, and the Coronation Spoon. The Crown Jewels are kept in the Tower of London and are some of the most famous jewels in the world and include rubies, emeralds, shapphires, pearls and diamonds.

Learn about and Celebrate the coronation of King Charles II with this information about the Regalisa and Crown jewels used in the ceremony and then colour it in.

The issues of the Coronation Regalia and Crown Jewels

When the British Empire was expanding and acquiring colonies, precious stones (among other invaluable possessions) were taken back to Britain and presented as souvenirs, or the spoils of war. These stones are embedded within the crown jewels to make matters more difficult. So we can not talk about the coronation of King Charles and the crowns he will wear without discussing the origins of the precious stones and the social issues that sound them. In fact, this is a great opportunity to discuss with your children your class how they feel the precious gems should be handled, rather than ignoring the issue.

Learn About the Coronation Regalia

St Edward’s Crown

St Edward’s Crown is the most important and sacred of all the crowns. It is only used at the moment of crowning itself at the coronation. It was made for Charles II in 1661, as a replacement for the medieval crown which had been melted down in 1649. So why is it called St Edward’s Crown? The medieval crown was believed to date back to the eleventh-century royal saint, Edward the Confessor – the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. 

It weighs 2.3kg (nearly 5lb) and is decorated with rubies, amethysts and sapphires.

The Imperial State Crown

The Imperial State Crown, or Crown of State, is the crown the monarch exchanges for St Edward’s Crown, at the end of the coronation ceremony. The Imperial State crown was made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 but is closely based on a crown designed for Queen Victoria in 1838 by the crown jewellers of the time, Rundell, Bridge & Rundell.

The crown also includes the Cullinan II diamond, the second largest stone cut from the great Cullinan Diamond

Sovereign’s Orb

The Sovereign’s Orb (which is from 1661) is given to the King as part of the investiture and they represent power and responsibility. The Orb which is mounted with a cross is there to remind him that his power is given by God and also symbolises the Christian world.

During the coronation service, the Orb is placed in the right hand of the monarch. It is then placed on the high altar before the moment of crowning.

Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross

The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross has been used at every coronation since Charles II’s in 1661. It was transformed in 1910 for George V by the addition of the Cullinan I diamond which is 530.2 carats and it is the largest colourless cut diamond in the world.  The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in 1905, in modern-day South Africa. On 26 January 1905 The Transvaal government purchased the stone and gifted it to King Edward VII.

The sceptre and orb came into the spotlight most recently when they were place on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during her state funeral in September, but they’ve been part of the coronation of British monarchs for centuries.

Coronation Spoon

The oldest piece of coronation regalia is the twelfth-century Coronation Spoon. It is used for anointing the sovereign with holy oil, the most sacred part of the coronation ceremony. The reason the spoon survived parliament’s abolition of the monarchy and destruction of the Crown Jewels in 1649 was that Clement Kynnersley (who was an official of Charles I’s royal wardrobe) bought it. Then in 1660 after the reformation, he returned the Coronation Spoon to Charles II hoping to gain royal favour.

You can find more information about the Crown Jewels and the Tower of Londom here.

Colour in The Coronation Regalia

Colour in the Coronation Regalia

Download your Coronation Regalia Coloring Printables Below:

These printables are offered for your personal, non-commercial use only. Mass-production of this printable is not permitted, even for non-profit purposes. Please do not upload these Coronation Regalia Printables to other sites – instead, if you want to let people know about these freebies, post a link to this page. Pinning is okay as long as the pin links back to this page. Thanks!

This post contains affiliate links. If you make any purchases after clicking one of these links, I will make a small commission (hopefully enough to keep me in tea all year) – at no extra cost to you! This allows me to keep creating and sharing free tutorials and content for you. Thank you!

I always print my printables directly onto 160 gsm cardstock using my Epson Ecotank Printer rather than regular paper, this way they are a little more durable and the pens do not bleed through to the other side. However, if you do not have a home printer then just pop to a library and use theirs.

Make sure you check out our other Coronation Activities

3 thoughts on “Learn About and Colour The Coronation Regalia – The Coronation of King Charles III”

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