King Charles and Queen Camilla (in a Tiara!) Participate in the Ancient Pearl Sword Ceremony to Mark Coronation

King Charles and Queen Camilla (in a Tiara!) Participate in the Ancient Pearl Sword Ceremony to Mark Coronation

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King Charles and Queen Camilla continue to celebrate their coronation year with historic customs.

On Wednesday, the royal couple attended a dinner at the Mansion House to recognize the work of the City of London’s civic institutions and the Livery Companies, the city’s ancient and modern trade guilds. The king upheld a tradition dating back to 1689 of the new monarch’s first visit to the City of London — the square mile established by the Romans as “Londinium” around AD 43, which unites 32 boroughs to form Greater London — in the year before his coronation by addressing to the gathered guests.

While King Charles adorned his suit with various honors and medals, Queen Camilla was glamorous in a Girls of Great Britain and Ireland dress and tiara. According to the Royal Collection Trust, the headdress was a wedding gift from the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” to the Duchess of York, later Queen Mary, in 1893. Queen Elizabeth, who was given the wedding piece by her grandmother, was present when she married Prince Philip before ascended the throne, wore the tiara during her historic 70-year reign and was featured in the appendix on some British and Commonwealth banknotes and coins.

Upon their arrival, King Charles took part in the Sword of Pearl ceremony. Representing the authority of the Lord Mayor in the City of London, the King was presented with a sword. King Charles then returned the Sword of Pearls, confirming the Mayor’s powers when the monarch is not present. King Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth, performed the ceremony in 1953 after her own coronation and again in 1977 and 2022 to mark important anniversaries.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla received the Sword of Pearls on October 18, 2023.

KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty

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Before 1641, the monarch would take the sword for the duration of their visit, but in 1641, King Charles I immediately returned it to the mayor, a practice that has continued ever since. The custom of handing over the mayor’s sword to the monarch was first recorded in 1392 when the mayor offered his sword to King Richard II. It is believed that the Pearl Sword, decorated with more than 2,600 pearls on its scabbard, was first presented to the city by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571 for the opening of the Royal Stock Exchange.

London City has a total of five swords. In addition to the Pearl Sword, there are also the Sword of State, the Sword of Mourning, the Old Sword of Bailey, and the sword from the Chamber of Justice in the Mansion House.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla at their coronation reception and dinner at Mansion House on October 18, 2023 in London, England. The King attended the reception to maintain the tradition of visiting the City of London during the coronation year. The engagement is a recognition of the work of London's civic institutions and Livery Companies.

King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the City of London on October 18, 2023.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

Inside the palace, King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 76, had the chance to see the anointing screen, donated by the City of London Corporation and City Livery Companies for the most sacred moment of the coronation ceremony, the anointing. The screen combines traditional and contemporary sustainable embroidery practices, and the couple met those involved in creating the screen, including designer Aidan Hart and members of the Royal School of Handiwork and the Worshipful Company of Weavers.

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The King and Queen then joined a reception where they met representatives of the City of London Corporation, the Common Council, Livery Companies and the City’s financial sector.

And like many royal engagements, the visit wasn’t complete without signing King Charles and Queen Camilla into the visitor’s book.

Queen Camilla arrives for a reception and dinner in honor of their coronation on October 18, 2023 at Mansion House in London, England. The King attended the reception to maintain the tradition of visiting the City of London during the coronation year. The engagement is a recognition of the work of London's civic institutions and Livery Companies.

Queen Camilla attends a coronation dinner on October 18, 2023.

Chris Jackson/Getty

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After they went to the Egyptian Hall for dinner, the headmaster of Christ’s Hospital School, Zaphaneth Puplampu, gave the loyalty speech, which is traditionally given during the new sovereign’s first official visit to the City of London. The mayor then gave a speech of welcome, before the king gave a speech of response.

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Source: HIS Education

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