In an effort to promote sustainability, King Charles III has decided to incorporate a historic piece into his Coronation at Westminster Abbey this Saturday. Specifically, he plans to reuse a chair that was previously used by his grandfather, George VI, during his own coronation 86 years ago.
According to a report by Reuters, he will also wear clothing previously worn by his predecessors, including his mother and grandfather. Among the vestments to reappear will be the coronation glove made for his grandfather, George VI. Charles will also wear his grandfather's 'Colobium Sindonis' - a white linen shift-like tunic, and the sword belt he wore, again eschewing the tradition of having a new one made, according to the report.
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By royal tradition, ceremonial chairs and thrones are used for the different stages of the Coronation Service at the Abbey. In addition to St. Edward’s Chair or Coronation Chair used for the moment of crowning, the King and Queen Camilla will be seated in Chairs of Estate and Throne Chairs at different points during the religious service.
The Throne Chairs for the Enthroning and the Homage were made for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother of Queen Elizabeth II, on May 12, 1937.
"In the interests of sustainability, Their Majesties have chosen to use Chairs of Estate and Throne Chairs from the Royal Collection made for previous Coronations. These have been conserved, restored and adapted as required,” Buckingham Palace said.
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The Chairs of the Estate which will be used on Saturday were made in 1953 by the London firm White, Allom and Company for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2 that year. The central St. Edward’s Chair, made over 700 years ago from Baltic oak and first used at the Coronation of King Edward II, will be the Chair Charles will be sitting on when crowned King.
The palace revealed that earlier this year, the King and Queen visited the Royal School of Needlework to meet craftspeople and embroiderers who contributed to the project. As the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla became Patron of the Royal School of Needlework in 2017.
Charles and Camilla will be led through a religious ceremony lasting an estimated two hours on Saturday, being seated at these different chairs before being crowned King and Queen by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Besides, 100 Congregation Chairs have been made in collaboration between the Royal Household, Royal Warrant Holder furniture maker N.E.J Stephenson and the Prince’s Foundation to be positioned in Westminster Abbey for special guests.
The Chairs have been covered in blue velvet and feature the cyphers of Their Majesties. Following the Coronation, these Chairs will be auctioned, and the proceeds will be donated to charity.
Notably, King Charles has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental activism, having spearheaded numerous initiatives and addressed critical global forums on matters of sustainability.
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Here is a look at some of them:
According to a report by BBC, within months of his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969, the 20-year-old Prince Charles wrote to Prime Minister Harold Wilson worried about the decline of salmon stocks in Scottish rivers. "People are notoriously short-sighted when it comes to questions of wildlife," he complained.
In 1992, for the first time in 20 years, UN member nations had convened to discuss environmental issues. Prior to the summit, Charles reportedly hosted an informal reception off the coast of Brazil for delegates on the royal yacht Britannia.
Charles has also been vocal about climate change. Weeks before the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) that began converging in Glasgow, Scotland, he urged world leaders to more than "just talk" at the summit.
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He established the Sustainable Markets Initiative in 2020 which aims to action towards a greener future by "providing a proposed set of principles to 2030 that puts Nature, People and Planet at the heart of global value creation." Over 500 CEOs have become a part of the initiative since then, according to reports.
During his scheduled programmes and tours in November, the emphasis was on to engage with businesses and community leaders over environmental issues and the 'cost of living crisis'.
(With inputs from PTI)
