Ajit Karn
London: Westminster Abbey in London announced that the historic Coronation Throne, on which Henry VIII and other English and later British monarchs have been crowned for roughly 700 years, is receiving a transformation prior to this year’s ceremony for King Charles.
On May 6, Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, will be formally crowned in a religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey, where monarchs and queens have been crowned for the past thousand years.
The crown is set on the top of the monarch while he or she is seated on the oak chair, which was originally gilded with gold leaf and elaborately decorated with coloured glass.
Charles will be crowned on the chair, like his renowned ancestors King Henry VIII, Queen Victoria, and his own mother Queen Elizabeth II.
It is the earliest extant piece of furniture that is still used for its original purpose, according to Krista Blessley, the Abbey’s Paintings Conservator.
King Edward I commissioned the Coronation Chair to incorporate the Stone of Scone, or Stone of Destiny, which had been used for millennia to crown Scottish monarchs. In 1296, Edward carried the Stone from Scotland to England.
According to the Abbey, it has been used in coronation ceremonies since 1308 and to crown monarchs since Henry IV in 1399.
The chair has endured wear and strain over the years, including being subject to graffiti from local Westminster schoolboys and travellers during the 18th century. On the seat, a visitor inscribed “P. Abbott slept in this chair on 5-6 July 1800.”
A explosive attack in 1914, believed to have been orchestrated by Suffragettes, also damaged a corner of the building. In the 18th century, its foundation, which depicts a lion at each corner, was also replaced.
On December 25, 1950, Scottish Nationalists stole the Stone of Scone, which was recovered a few months later. The Stone was returned to Scotland in 1996 and is currently kept at Edinburgh Castle; however, it will be transported back to London for the coronation.
The most recent conservation efforts will concentrate on scrubbing the surface with cotton swabs and sponges to remove grime and stabilising the surviving gilding layers on the mediaeval chair and its base.
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“The coronation throne is exceptionally delicate. Its intricate layer structure causes the gilding layers to flake off frequently “Blessley declared. So much of my current labour consists of reapplying the gilding and ensuring that it is in perfect condition for the coronation.
