King Charles III
Buckingham Palace has revealed that the cloth screen to be used for the most sacred part of the religious ceremony at King Charles III’s Coronation at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6 will have strong Commonwealth symbolism, with each of the member-country names, including India, sewn into the fabric.
The anointing screen was presented this weekend and features a center design of a tree with branches packed with 56 leaves symbolizing Commonwealth nations, which the palace says reflects the 74-year-old monarch’s deep affection for the organization.
The anointing, historically seen as a moment between the Sovereign and God with a screen or canopy in place due to its sacredness, occurs before a British monarch.
Aidan Hart, the Designer, and Iconographer behind the project said, “Each and every element of the design has been specifically chosen to symbolize aspects of this historic Coronation and the Commonwealth, from the birds that symbolize the joy and interaction among members of a community living in harmony to the rejoicing angels and the dove that represents the Holy Spirit”.
The Dean of Westminster pours holy oil from the Ampulla into the Coronation Spoon during the anointing ceremony, and the Archbishop of Canterbury anoints the Sovereign on the hands, chest, and head.
The screen was blessed ahead of the big day next Saturday at a special service of dedication at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London.
Staff and students from the Royal School of Needlework, as well as members of the Worshipful Company of Broderers, Drapers, and Weavers, embroidered the individual.
The Head of Studio and Standards at the Royal School of Needlework, Anne Butcher said, “It has been a wonderful collaborative project to be involved with and an exciting celebration of craft techniques. The leaves were a particular pleasure as they were worked on by multiple embroiderers”.
The screen’s materials were also sourced sustainably from across the UK and other Commonwealth nations, with the cloth manufactured of wool from Australia and New Zealand and woven and finished in UK mills.
The writing for each Commonwealth country’s name was created to be both modern and classical, inspired by both the Roman Trojan column letters and the work of Welsh calligrapher David Jones.
The screen, which mixes ancient and contemporary ecological embroidery practices was presented for the occasion by the City of London Corporation and City Livery Companies.
The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Nicholas Lyons remarked, “While many things have changed since the last Coronation, one thing that remains the same is the City’s unstinting loyalty to and support for the Monarchy”.
The screen is supported by a wooden pole framework, a structure designed and built by Nick Gutfreund of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters, and the oak wooden poles are made from a windblown tree on the Windsor Estate, established by the Duke of Northumberland in 1765.
Project Lead Nick Gutfreund remarked, “I’m so pleased we were able to use sustainable materials at the heart of the screen, including using a windblown tree from the Windsor Estate for the wooden frame”
The Commonwealth tree also includes the King’s Cypher, ornamental roses, angels, and a scroll. The screen is three-sided, with the open side facing the High Altar in Westminster Abbey.
The screen is three-sided, with the open side facing Westminster Abbey’s High Altar. The screen’s two sides are more simpler than the front, with maroon cloth and a gold, blue, and red cross.
The largely Christian Coronation ceremony will include multi-faith aspects, such as a multi-faith procession with representatives from the Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish religions handing over crucial royal regalia to the King at the altar.
(With input from PTI)
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