Coronations from the Middle Ages to the present day

To mark the coronation of King Charles III, Lambeth Palace (the official home of the Archbishop of Canterbury) and Lambeth Palace Library collections have brought together a special exhibition of materials relating to previous coronations, dating all the way to Henry I's coronation in 1100.

Hosted at the Lambeth Palace Library’s dedicated gallery, the exhibition presents a host of religious items including manuscripts, books, bibles and other written material belonging to the Church of England that relate to the coronation of British kings and queens over the centuries.

Highlights include the manuscript for the coronation service prepared for William III and Mary II, Archbishop Wake’s notes for the coronation of George II, the Bible upon which Elizabeth II swore her coronation oath and the coronation charter of Henry I. The coronation charter was issued by Henry I, the youngest son of William the Conqueror, and is more than a century older than the Magna Carta. The extraordinary document details the freedom and privileges of the Church that Henry I swore to maintain, rectifying the injustices that had been perpetrated by his late elder brother, and is one of the oldest treasures in the Library’s collection.

Until 14 June, items from the Palace collections used in previous coronations, including the cope and mitre worn by Archbishop Fisher for the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, will also be on display.