Royals Reportedly Need to Practice Wearing Heavy Coronation Crown
It’s no surprise that preparing for a coronation ceremony takes a lot of work and practice, from making sure every detail is perfect, to running through what will happen on the day. One royal expert revealed his thoughts on what King Charles might be doing to get ready for his royal coronation: practicing wearing the crown.
Queen Elizabeth and King Charles practiced wearing heavy coronation crowns
Joe Little is the editor of Majesty Magazine, so he has plenty of insights into the members of the royal family. He shared some of his thoughts on the upcoming coronation during an appearance on the HELLO! A Right Royal Podcast.
“[The crowns] are both very heavy, so the queen practiced for quite some time wearing St. Edward’s Crown, and also the Imperial State Crown because of the weight,” Little explained, adding that the St. Edward’s Crown is only used during coronation ceremonies, so “it’s a once-in-a-reign moment.”
Little also shared that King Charles “has memories” of Queen Elizabeth practicing with the heavy headgear and “wearing the crown at home to get used to having it on her head.” He added that, even though the royals don’t have the crown on their head for that long, they still need to practice.
King Charles has a fake Westminster Abbey set up for more coronation practice
When asked if he thought King Charles was practicing wearing the crown at home, Little replied, “I’d be amazed if he didn’t.” According to him, there’s even “a mock Abbey set up in Buckingham Palace so that they can rehearse.”
Rehearsing for this huge ceremony isn’t new. Little said that Queen Elizabeth frequently went to Westminster Abbey in the run-up to her coronation for “various rehearsals,” making sure that everything was perfect for the big day.
It’s no surprise the royals feel the need to practice putting on the heavy headgear. According to Historic Royal Palaces, St. Edward’s Crown weighs nearly 5 pounds. The Imperial State Crown weighs over 2 pounds, per AP News.
Young King Charles managed to get his hands on the crown during his mother’s coronation festivities
King Charles is no doubt looking forward to finally getting to wear the crown. However, one palace insider shared that this won’t be the first time he’s had his hands on the crown. One of Princess Margaret’s former ladies-in-waiting, Lady Ann Glenconner, said she was too afraid to touch the object. “I wouldn’t dare…[it’s] completely sacred,” she said, per HELLO!. However, Charles had no qualms about grabbing the crown.
“[The Queen] took it off, put it on a table, and Prince Charles made a beeline for it,” Glenconner laughed. “And we thought he was going to drop it. We thought, ‘Oh my goodness, that would be a bad omen’. But luckily, I think my mother, as a lady-in-waiting, seized it from him and took it away.”
