Royal School of Needlework plays starring role in King Charles III's Coronation

By Nub News Reporter 10th May 2023

The Royal School of Needlework's Embroidery Studio conserving the Robe of Sate of The King (Credit: RSN)
The Royal School of Needlework's Embroidery Studio conserving the Robe of Sate of The King (Credit: RSN)

The internationally renowned Royal School of Needlework (RSN) played a starring role over the weekend at King Charles III and Queen Camilla's Coronation.

Whilst millions across the country and around the world tuned in to see members of the British Royal Family, prime ministers, presidents, foreign royals, global luminaries and celebrities in attendance, a host of organisations were not present who played a leading role in the day that will go down in the British history books.

Located at Hampton Court Palace since 1987, the Royal School has been teaching the art of hand embroidery for over 150 years, and Saturday's Coronation saw the centre play a crucial role in the work for Their Majesties robes and thrones.

In accordance with tradition, King Charles and Queen Camilla wore two different robes during the Coronation Service. The Royal School of Needlework's Embroidery Studio conserved the Robe of Sate of The King, which was worn by His Majesty on his arrival to Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

The King's Robe of State is made of crimson velvet and was originally worn by King George VI at the Coronation in 1937.

The Royal School of Needlework's Embroidery Studio conserved the Robe of Sate of The King (Credit: RSN)

The Queen Consort's new Robe of Estate was also designed and embroidered by the School, and was worn by Her Majesty when departing from Westminster Abbey.

The Robe used a rich purple velvet, which was chosen to match His Majesty's Robe of Estate, and was embroidered using the Goldwork technique with the design also incorporating Her Majesty's cypher.

The Queen Consort's Robe of Estate (Credit: RSN)

Featured on the robe is Scabiosa, known as pincushion flowers, which is a reference to the Royal School of Needlework's connection with Her Majesty, who became Patron in 2017 as The Duchess of Cornwall.

For the first time, insects including bees, butterflies, a beetle and caterpillar feature on the Coronation Robe, drawing on the themes of nature and the environment and reflecting Their Majesties' affection for the natural world.

In the interests of sustainability, the Chairs of Estate and Throne Chairs used on Saturday were from the Royal Collection, made for previous Coronations.

The Royal School of Needlework hand embroidered new cyphers for the Chairs of Estate which were created with cloth of gold and woven with a metal thread. The cloth of gold was then embellished with gold metallic threads, such as Pearl Purl, Gimp and Check.

Work in progress of The Queen Consort's Coat of Arms at the RSN's Embroidery Studio (Credit: RSN)

The Throne Chairs used on Saturday were initially made for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1937 by the White Allom and Company. The Chairs were upholstered in crimson velvet and applied with the Royal Arms of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

RSN conserved the original embroidered Coat of Arms on His Majesty's chair and lightly cleaned it before transferring it onto new velvet. The school then hand embroidered a new Coat of Arms of The Queen Consort for her Throne Chair using the Silk Shading technique, which was applied to the new velvet.

From Royal thrones to robes, RSN also created and embroidered King Charles' Stole Royal from a design by the College Arms, which was presented to His Majesty during his Anointing.

The Stole Royal for the Coronation of His Majesty The King (Credit: Prudence Cuming Fine Art Photography courtesy of The Girdlers' Company)

Inspired by the Stole worn by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the design featured a series of roundels set in a gold chain framework which were applied to cloth of gold. Each roundel featured an embroidered image which had been created using the silk shading technique, also known as 'painting with a needle'.

The Royal School of Needlework offers a range of embroidery courses for beginners all the way through to advanced members as well as talks and events. For more information on classes as well as the school's remarkable history, visit its website here.

     

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