The King is recycling a chair used by King George VI for the Coronation, in an effort to make the event more sustainable.
After he is crowned, King Charles III will move to a throne chair used during his grandfather’s coronation in 1937.
It has been re-upholstered, but still features the original embroidered coats of arms on the front and back.
Camilla, the Queen Consort, has an identical chair, used by the Queen Mother during the 1937 coronation.
However, the Queen Mother’s coats of arms have been replaced by newly embroidered versions created by the Royal School of Needlework (RSN).
The King wanted to reuse things where possible for the Coronation, explained Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the King’s Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust.
“So it’s giving the chairs, I suppose, a new life in a slightly different guise, but at the same time respecting that they are historic objects, and conserving them for the future,” she said.
As is tradition, on 6 May, a succession of chairs will be used by the King. He will move from a chair of estate to the ancient coronation chair to be crowned, before moving to the throne chair for the moment of enthronement.
The Queen Consort will be crowned in a chair of estate before sitting in a throne chair.
