King and Queen receive Coronation Roll a year since they were crowned
- The King and Queen received the official Coronation Roll a year after crowning
Almost a year after they were crowned at Westminster Abbey, the King and Queen have received the official recording of the proceedings, the Coronation Roll.
It is the first in history to be made from paper and not parchment – which is made from calf, goat or sheepskin – due to Charles’s interest in animal welfare.
At Buckingham Palace on Wednesday Their Majesties were presented with the roll by Antonia Romeo, the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery.
Ms Romeo said the roll comprises 57 pages stitched together and contains around 11,600 handwritten words.
As it was unrolled on a trestle table, the King joked: ‘It goes for miles.’ The Queen added: ‘I won’t attempt to read it without my specs.’
Unrolled: The King and Queen with Antonia Romeo as they are presented with the Coronation Roll
Illuminated: The first page of the Coronation roll presented to King Charles and Queen Camilla
Clerk of the Crown in Chancery Antonia Romeo’s signature on the Coronation Roll
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are shown a digital version of the Coronation Roll
The King said he was hugely impressed by ‘the most marvellous illuminations’, light-heartedly adding: ‘All the right spellings?’ Ms Romeo replied: ‘That’s been checked many times, many times.’
‘It’s extraordinary, it goes right on to us leaving the abbey,’ the King commented.
The first Coronation Roll was created for Edward II and Queen Isabella in 1308.
The National Archives hold most of them, but many are missing and none exist for Edward III, Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III, Henry VII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I and Charles I.
The King said: ‘I’m riveted, I read that after 1308, there are quite a lot missing. And we don’t know where they disappear to? What happened to all the other lost rolls?’
The King and Queen were introduced to Timothy Noad, the heraldic artist, and Stephanie Gill, the calligrapher.
‘I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your work,’ the King said, adding: ‘You deserve a stiff drink after all that!’
Speaking to Ms Gill, the Queen said: ‘Your eyes must have been very strained?’ She replied: ‘More so my hands, it was a lot of detail.’
Clerk of the Crown in Chancery Antonia Romeo (right) and Head of Conservation at the National Archives Sonja Schwoll (left) unfurl the Coronation Roll at the College of Arms in London
The Coronation Roll of Queen Elizabeth II on display at Buckingham Palace
The Coronation Rolls of previous monarchs on display at Buckingham Palace
The Coronation Roll of Queen Victoria on display at Buckingham Palace
King Charles III and Queen Camilla after being presented with the Coronation Roll, an official record of their Coronation, at Buckingham Palace on March 1
Head of Collections at the National Archives Sean Cunningham with the Coronation Roll at the College of Arms
The couple were also shown a unique digital version which is being launched as part of a project where the public will be able to view the roll and search for specific information.
It will also include video and photos from the ceremony as well as interviews with key players.
The King and Queen were also shown a collection of previous rolls including the one made for his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
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