The heavy and priest-like golden robes King Charles III will wear for his Coronation have been revealed.
During the service, the King will put on layer upon layer of glittering vestments, some of which were created for his great-grandfather George V.
Prince William will help during the service by placing a ceremonial robe on his father
For the crowning, King Charles will be given a long shimmering gold-sleeved coat to wear called the Supertunica.
The robe was created for George V in 1911 and has been worn at successive coronations including by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
It weighs about 2kg (4.4lb), is made of cloth of gold – silk thread wrapped in thin pieces of gold or silver gilt metal – and is embroidered with stylised arabesques and floral motifs.
Layered on top of the Supertunica, there will be a floor-length cloak called the Imperial Mantle, or Robe Royal, which was made for George IV in 1821 – it weighs 3-4kg (6.6-8.8lb).
The mantle, which fastens across the chest with a golden eagle clasp, is inspired by ancient coronation ensembles and its priest-like style is meant to symbolise the divine nature of kingship.
Made of cloth of gold, it is embellished with motifs including fleur-de-lis, as well as imperial eagles, and national floral emblems of red-pink roses, blue thistles and green shamrocks.
It has been worn by previous monarchs including Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation in 1953.
The weight of the ceremonial robes comes on top of the crown which weighs about 2.23kg (nearly 5lbs).
The robes are reminiscent of the coronation ceremony, explained Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the King’s Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust.
“They have clearly incredible historic significance, but they’re also significant because of the sacred nature of their use during the investiture part of the coronation ceremony,” she said.
The garments are usually kept in the Tower of London and form part of the coronation regalia.
Source: BBC
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