Digital record of the Coronation unveiled for the first time in history
The Coronation Roll is the official record of the Monarch’s accession and crowning
- King Charles III’s Coronation Roll presented to Their Majesties The King and Queen on Wednesday by Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and Antonia Romeo.
- The Public will be able to view the Roll online.
For the first time in history people will be able to explore a digitised version of the Coronation Roll through a new UK Government project.
The Coronation Roll is the official State record of a monarch’s accession and Coronation. The Roll contains details of The King’s accession, the planning of the Coronation, and a detailed description of the ceremony. Rolls include the monarch’s oath to govern according to the customs and laws of the realm, and detail the ceremonial of the coronation - the prayers, the service, the blessings, the order of service, and official guests. For centuries the roll has been authored by the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery.
The practice of creating rolls for monarchs’ coronations dates back to Edward II in 1308. Originally they were written in Latin and French. Rolls have been written in English from the seventeenth century and Charles III’s will be the first to be digitised to allow new generations of people to view it.
Visitors to the site will be able to view video and photographs from the Coronation and exclusive interviews with many of the key participants including Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Lord President of the Council Penny Mordaunt and Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk.
Charles III’s Coronation Roll was authored by Antonia Romeo, the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. It was produced by skilled craftspeople: hand-written by calligrapher Stephanie Gill, and decorated by heraldic artist Timothy Noad with national symbols of the United Kingdom including the English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh leek and Northern Irish Shamrock. Rather than traditional vellum, it was created on high-quality animal product-free paper.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and Antonia Romeo presented the new Coronation Roll and its digital version to Their Majesties The King and Queen at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. Their Majesties also viewed several historic rolls: Elizabeth II’s, Victoria’s, William and Mary’s and Edward II’s.
Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, 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.
"For the first time, this Coronation Roll will be digitised - bringing the tradition into the twenty-first century and giving as many people as possible the opportunity to see it."
Charles III’s Coronation Roll will be stored with other coronation rolls in the National Archives.