Three were carried before the monarch during the procession into the Abbey, in a tradition that dates back to at least the Coronation of Richard I in 1189. Yet Kathryn Jones, senior curator of decorative arts for the Royal Collection Trust, admitted: “We don’t know its original purpose.”įour further swords were used during the Coronation. The original purpose of the Coronation Spoon, which is used during the anointing - the most sacred part of the ceremony - is also unknown.įirst recorded in 1349, preserved among St Edward's Regalia in Westminster Abbey, it is the oldest object in the collection and has been hailed as the “one real great survivor” of the medieval regalia. Most of the regalia were created during the reign of Charles II as replicas of medieval objects that were destroyed in the mid-17th century on the orders of Oliver Cromwell.Īmong them is St Edward’s Staff, which was remade even though “no one was quite sure what it was for”.
At the heart of the King’s Coronation were ancient and invaluable jewel-encrusted regalia from swords to crowns - much of which have been used for more than 1,000 years.īut mystery surrounds the purpose of some of the objects, with royal experts admitting that despite their repeated use and historical significance, they have no idea what they were used for.
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