King Charles Had a Special Moment During His Coronation — and It Involved the Crown
Despite the fanfare and precision involved in it being a coronation ceremony, it is also a day of quiet and human moments—of the type that would never be intended to be seen by other people in the world, other than the one being crowned. This moment, in fact, happened in the backstage area and not on the balcony or in the vaulted roof of Buckingham Palace
On the coronation day, King Charles III took a break from tradition–literally. When he emerged from Buckingham Palace to acknowledge the Royal Air Force flypast, he re-entered the palace and took off the Imperial State Crown. In fact, something unexpected occurred. As the palace had undergone refurbishment, it had no suitable place to hold the Imperial State Crown. Thus, it ended up sitting on a stool and some scaffolding.
According to HELLO!, it was a sight to behold. “It was an incredible sight: scaffolding standing beside the Imperial State Crown, something I never imagined I would witness,” an insider recalled. Earlier in the day, Charles and Queen Camilla had dominated proceedings at Westminster Abbey, where they were coronated in a ceremony filled with ritual and tradition. In the coronation ceremony, King Charles wore St Edward’s Crown, which is considered to be the most revered of all the royal crowns and is worn in coronations at exactly the coronation moment. According to Historic Royal Palaces, it is "the most important and sacred of all the crowns" and is only "used at the moment of crowning itself."
Later, for the procession and balcony appearance, the King switched to the Imperial State Crown, a familiar symbol of monarchy and state occasions. The crown is from 1937 and is set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 269 pearls. Weighing around 1,060 grams, just over two pounds, it is significantly lighter than the St Edward’s Crown, which weighs approximately 2,076 grams, or about 4.58 pounds.
That difference matters. In the 2024 documentary Coronation Girls, King Charles admitted that the physical reality of wearing the crown was not lost on him. “The big one that you're crowned with, the St Edward’s Crown, it weighs five pounds,” he said. “It is much heavier and taller, so there's always that feeling of feeling slightly anxious, in case it wobbles.” The concern, as it appears, is inherited. Charles also shared a personal memory of watching his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, prepare for her own coronation decades earlier. “I remember it all so well then, because I remember my sister and I had bath time in the evening. My mama used to come up at bath time wearing the crown to practice,” he recalled.
The routine had a purpose. “You have to get used to how heavy it is,” Charles explained. “I've never forgotten, I can still remember it vividly. It is very important to wear it for a certain amount of time, because you get used to it.”
After the balcony appearance on May 6, 2023, Charles and Camilla had appeared resplendent in their crowns and Robes of Estate, joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—as well as Ladies in Attendance and Pages of Honour.