King Charles III will be crowned on Saturday, May 6, while dressed in hefty golden robes. Prince William will aid his father by putting the ceremonial robes in place. Along with the St. Edward’s Crown, the monarch will be vested in the Supertunica, Imperial Mantle, and Royal Stole. Supertunica is a long coat with long, shimmering gold sleeves that was made in 1911 for George V. At each subsequent coronation, monarchs have worn it, including the late Queen Elizabeth II. It is constructed of thin pieces of gold or silver gilded metal wound around gold silk threads and weighs roughly two kilograms. The stylized arabesque needlework and floral patterns are its greatest feature.
The British monarch will wear the Imperial Mantle, a floor-length cloak, on top of Supertunica. A golden eagle clasp is used to secure it over the chest. The roughly 3–4 kilogram priestly cloak was manufactured in 1821 for George IV. In addition to imperial eagles and fleur-de-lis, it is decorated with the national floral symbols of red-pink roses, blue thistles, and green shamrocks. It was also a part of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation attire in 1953.
The 2 kg St. Edward’s Crown will be placed on Charles’ head during the coronation ceremony
The 2 kg St. Edward’s Crown will be placed on Charles’ head by the Archbishop of Canterbury during the coronation ceremony. And in accordance with royal custom, which reserves the crown just for the event, that will be the first and last time he will wear the crown. It was first created for Charles II’s coronation in 1661 and later used by Queen Elizabeth II for her 1953 coronation. Just like Charles, modern monarchs have chosen to purposefully reuse some clothing. Going one step further, he has chosen to re-use the ceremonial belt, glove, and coronation sword, which are typically produced from scratch for each event.
The move is aimed at making the event more sustainable. He will be reusing the belt and glove worn by his grandfather George VI — the last male monarch. “It was the King’s personal decision,” Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the King’s Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust told CNN, adding that the items remain in “remarkable condition”. “And it’s in keeping with this idea of sustainability and efficiency to reuse these pieces,” she added.
