Ajit Karn
London: Before Charles III’s coronation in May, an unusual Lost Royal bed held in the Palace of Westminster with a remarkable history could host its first royal overnight, despite being slightly larger than king size.
The royal cradle, whose origins date back to a thousand-year-old tradition observed until the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century, was missing for decades but has now been recovered and is ready for use.
The sovereign traditionally spends the night before the coronation at the Palace of Westminster, followed by the Royal Palace.
After falling out of favour, the tradition was revived for the coronation of George IV in 1821, two centuries ago.
However, that bed was obliterated in the 1834 Parliamentary fire.
So a second one, completed in 1858, was created, but “it has never been used the night before a coronation,” according to parliamentary historian Mark Collins, speaking to AFP.
Finding in mill
It was not finished for the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838, and subsequent monarchs chose not to spend the night at Westminster.
During World War II, the bed was disassembled and stowed away, as the Victorian era fell out of fashion.
At the time of Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation, its whereabouts were unknown, and it was not until the late 1970s that a V&A Museum expert, Clive Wainwright, initiated an appeal to locate the bed.
His efforts were fruitful, as a family came forward to reveal its location at a Welsh woollen mill.
It had been purchased at auction in the 1960s for £100 ($119) by Richard Martin’s now-70-year-old parents.
“They realised it was a special item and something of significance, but they had no idea where it came from,” historian Collins explained.
And for roughly twenty years, the bed led a very active existence. Even Benedict, one of the family’s offspring, was born there in 1965.
“Nightfall throne”
Young Richard Martin’s imagination was aroused by the fantastical composition on his way to the land of slumber.
“When I was a child, we believed that whoever resided in the bed, slept in the bed, would place their cigarette” in the small openings carved into the wood while reading or sipping tea, he told AFP.
“No one else had a bed like that,” he said, referring to it as “a nocturnal throne.”
The bed was acquired from the family and then refurbished.
The original regal red and purple hangings, which were adorned with the rose for England, the thistle for Scotland, and the clover for Ireland, had vanished by 1984 and were recreated.
Following Speaker Lindsay Hoyle’s decision to open the rooms for excursions, the piece is now accessible to the public, but it will be concealed during the coronation weekend, beginning May 5.
The “State Bed” resides a short distance from Big Ben in a dedicated chamber in the Speaker’s quarters of the British Parliament, with windows overlooking Westminster Bridge and the London Eye.
Also read: Boris Johnson may have misled the British Parliament regarding the Partygate scandal: Panel
The upper portion of the bed, which features a walnut frame with gilding and regal insignia, is greater than three metres (about 10 feet) in height.
The issue now is whether Charles will serve as the ship’s first commander.
Ms. Collins stated that it will be prepared for action regardless of the decision.
“I don’t believe it will be too long before we learn if it will be used again.
“The bed is absolutely prepared, just in case.”
