King Charles has complimented the team who made his Coronation Roll, telling those involved in its creation: "You deserve a very stiff drink".
The King held his second public event since his cancer diagnosis to view the document with Queen Camilla, and wondered at the handwritten and heavily decorated artefact.
He told artist Tim Noad and calligrapher Stephanie Gill, who said she worked 56 consecutive days writing the roll, “Thank you very much, I cannot tell you how grateful I am”.
The tradition of creating a handwritten record of a monarch's coronation has been going on for centuries, dating back to 1308.
King Charles has complimented the team who made his Coronation Roll
PA
However, Charles' document has bucked the trend, swapping traditional animal skin for paper, in line with the King's strong beliefs on animal welfare.
It was authored by Antonia Romeo, the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, who signed the 21-metre document in front of the King and Queen.
She told them: “It’s stitched together, so it’s paper, there’s no animal product involved and they’re sown in what’s known as Chancery stitch, there’s 30 pages, something like 11,600 words and it’s rolled up.”
Camilla looked at one section of the roll spread on a table in Buckingham Palace’s 1844 room and said: “Goodness me, I won’t attempt to read it without my specs” and, commenting on how past rolls were written in Latin and French, Charles replied: “At least it’s in English.”
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Charles' document has swapped the traditional animal skin for paper, in line with the King's strong beliefs on animal welfare
PA
The roll gives a detailed description of the ceremony, naming all who took part in the historic event from the procession into Westminster Abbey, the anointing and crowning and the last crucial moments.
Dr Sean Cunningham, head of medieval records at the National Archives where the roll will be stored with 17 other surviving examples, said later: “So the roll is really to establish the King’s authority and the allegiance of the people who attended the coronation as his loyal leading subjects, so that’s the basis on which all these rolls have developed over time.
“And originally they captured who came, what claims they had to perform at the service at the Coronation – this is all part of establishing that relationship between the King and the leading subjects.
“So the new roll is kind of the final version of this, in that it takes elements of those earlier allegiances, oaths and homages and incorporates a kind of narrative story of what happened on the day, so we see much more of what people said, what they were wearing, what the prayers and the anthems and the music (were).”
The royal party were shown the digital version of the roll with additional features like photographs and video.
The King said: “Having it on the websites, it makes it more interesting for people.”
The roll gives a detailed description of the ceremony, naming all who took part in the historic event from the procession into Westminster Abbey, the anointing and crowning and the last crucial moments
PA
Charles and Camilla were also shown a recording of their procession into Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Sonja Schwoll, head of conservation at the National Archives, spoke about the use of paper called Fabriano Artistico, which is made from cotton.
She said: “It’s because the King is very interested in animal welfare, so we tried to stay away from any animal products… usually papers have gelatine inside, this paper doesn’t have any animal products in them.”
At the end of the presentation, the King and Queen were shown Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation roll and those created for the crowing of Queen Victoria, William, Mary and Edward II.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden also joined the presentation and said: “The Coronation Roll is a beautifully illustrated record and an important document of the accession and Coronation of Their Majesties the King and Queen.
“The Coronation marked a new chapter in our national story and it reflects the very best of our national traditions – which are admired the world over.”
