King Charles III will be crowned in a gilded chair whose storied history began more than 700 years ago.
While the Coronation Chair has provided a centerpiece for the crownings of British monarchs including Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II, that doesn't mean it's survived unscathed since it was created around the year 1300.
"It has suffered occasionally over its lifetime, there is graffiti on the back from local schoolboys and visitors carving their names in the 18th and 19th centuries, and a bomb attack in 1914 knocked a small corner off it," a Westminster Abbey official said in a release Wednesday. Among the letters carved into the chair: "P. Abbott slept in this chair 5-6 July 1800."
Now, the chair is being cleaned and stabilized by Westminster Abbey conservator Krista Blessley ahead of the May 6 coronation.
"Given its age and use, the chair is in remarkable condition and much of the original gilding survives," added the Abbey release about the chair, which is made of oak and was originally covered in gold leaf.
"The completed work will be entirely invisible but will ensure the preservation of these historic decorative layers not just for the Coronation but for centuries to come," added the Abbey statement.
Commissioned by King Edward I to house the Stone of the Scone (also known as the Stone of Destiny), the ancient coronation stone of Scottish kings, the chair is elaborately decorated with colored glass and painted patterns of birds, foliage and — suitably — a king.
While the chair was decorated to look as though it was made of solid gold, the glittering facade features intricate tiny dots known as punchwork, and its base —replaced in the 18th century — is also gilded with lions at each corner.
Visitors to the Abbey will be able to see the conservation work taking place on selected days in St. George's Chapel, located in the Abbey's Nave, according to the press release.
Buckingham Palace announced in October that King Charles' coronation will take place on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Queen Camilla will also be crowned at the same time.
The date is earlier than widely speculated — many believed that Charles would pick a June date as a tribute to the month when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, had her 1953 coronation.
Following nearly a thousand years of tradition, the service will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
"The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long standing traditions and pageantry," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
