This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65447193

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
King Charles Coronation: George VI's chair recycled for enthronement King Charles Coronation: Ant and Dec to attend with the Prince's Trust
(about 8 hours later)
King Charles and Camilla inspected their throne seat covers during a visit to the Royal College of Needlework in March Ant and Dec have hosted the Prince's Trust Awards 10 times
The King is recycling a chair used by King George VI for the Coronation, in an effort to make the event more sustainable. TV presenters Ant and Dec are to attend the King's Coronation in their roles as goodwill ambassadors for his charity, the Prince's Trust.
After he is crowned, King Charles III will move to a throne chair used during his grandfather's coronation in 1937. They will be joined at the Westminster Abbey ceremony on 6 May by young people the charity has supported.
It has been re-upholstered, but still features the original embroidered coats of arms on the front and back. The duo - full names Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly - have worked with the charity for two decades.
Camilla, the Queen Consort, has an identical chair, used by the Queen Mother during the 1937 coronation. Other Coronation guests linked to the Prince's Trust include singers Lionel Richie and Kelly Jones.
However, the Queen Mother's coats of arms have been replaced by newly embroidered versions created by the Royal School of Needlework (RSN). News of the invitees comes as more details about the Coronation have emerged, including that the King is recycling a chair used by King George VI for the ceremony.
The King wanted to reuse things where possible for the Coronation, explained Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the King's Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust.
"So it's giving the chairs, I suppose, a new life in a slightly different guise, but at the same time respecting that they are historic objects, and conserving them for the future," she said.
The chairs of estate, originally made for Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, have been completely refurbished
As is tradition, on 6 May, a succession of chairs will be used by the King. He will move from a chair of estate to the ancient coronation chair to be crowned, before moving to the throne chair for the moment of enthronement.
The Queen Consort will be crowned in a chair of estate before sitting in a throne chair.
Your full guide to how Coronation day will unfoldYour full guide to how Coronation day will unfold
Who is going to the coronation - and who isn't?Who is going to the coronation - and who isn't?
What we know about King Charles's coronationWhat we know about King Charles's coronation
The chairs of estate, which have also been re-upholstered, were originally made for the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh for the late monarch's coronation in 1953. Jones is frontman of Welsh band Stereophonics, who were supported by the trust before signing a record deal, with a grant to help them buy new equipment so they could perform live.
The cyphers have been replaced by those of King Charles and Camilla and embroidered by the RSN. US singer-songwriter Richie was named chairman of the charity's global ambassador group in 2019.
The RSN, which celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, has been used in five successive coronations, including Edward VII's crowning. The trust, which was founded in 1976 by the then Prince of Wales, is a youth charity helping people access jobs, education and training.
It took AT Cronin Workshop in west London two months to restore the throne chairs McPartlin and Donnelly have hosted the Prince's Trust Awards 10 times and recently worked with the charity on a course to make the media industry more accessible.
It took two months to renovate the throne chairs, during which a family-run firm of upholsterers stripped them before building them back up with layers of wool and using red and gold braid and fringes for decoration. The pair's Making It In Media course "is a real passion project", said McPartlin.
Ian Block, from AT Cronin Workshop, said traditional methods were used in the work, adding: "There's 100 years of life in these." "There are so many roles in TV and media that young people may have never considered as a career," he said. "We want to help young people find out more about the industry."
There will also be 100 congregation chairs in Westminster Abbey, made from sustainable British oak and covered in blue velvet with the King and Queen Consort's cyphers. Donnelly said they were "incredibly proud" to work with the charity, adding: "We hope we can help change many more young lives together in the years ahead."
These will be sold after Saturday's ceremony and the proceeds donated to charity. Singer Lionel Richie was named chairman of the Prince's Trust global ambassador group in 2019
Magician Dynamo, whose real name is Steven Frayne, is another Coronation guest who was helped by the charity.
"The Prince's Trust gave me the support no-one else would and it changed my life - that's real magic," he said.
British-Ghanaian hairstylist Charlotte Mensah, who received a grant to help her set up her own salon, will be attending.
And British Vogue's editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, who has helped the Prince's Trust with its work in Africa and worldwide as a global ambassador, is also among the guests.
Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here.Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here.
Another change in tradition is the public's pledge of allegiance to the King and his heirs where people watching the Coronation will be invited to join a "chorus of millions" in the first Homage of the People. Hassan Alkhawam, 24, is one of the young people who will be attending the Coronation.
It replaces the traditional Homage of Peers in which a long line of hereditary peers knelt and made a pledge to the monarch in person. After escaping the conflict in Syria and finding sanctuary in Northern Ireland with his family in 2017, he was supported by the trust as he applied for university to study software engineering.
However, this has been described as "offensive, tone deaf and a gesture that holds the people in contempt" by a campaign group. He will be joined by Funmilola Sosanya, 31, from south-east London, who experienced bereavement and unemployment before the trust helped her find work as a healthcare assistant.
Republic, which wants the monarchy abolished and replaced with a directly elected head of state, says that in a democracy the head of state "should be swearing allegiance to the people, not the other way around". As well as the guests seated in the Abbey, more than 30 people supported by the charity will attend a screening in St Margaret's Church in Westminster.
"This kind of nonsense should have died with Elizabeth I, not outlived Elizabeth II," said Republic spokesman Graham Smith. The Coronation, which will see the King crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, is due to start at 11:00 BST on Saturday.
A Lambeth Palace spokesman said the homage was "very much an invitation rather than an expectation or request", adding that people could join in if it feels right, as they would for a national anthem. It has been revealed that the public will be invited to pledge allegiance to the King and his heirs during the ceremony.
The Queen Consort's chair of state was embroidered by hand A spokesman for Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's office, said "the homage of the people" was "exciting" because anyone could take part, "wherever they are".
But the move has been described as "offensive, tone deaf and a gesture that holds the people in contempt" by campaign group Republic.
It was earlier revealed that the King would be reusing a chair in the Coronation that was used by his grandfather, King George VI in 1937. Camilla will be using a chair previously used by the Queen Mother.
In a further nod to sustainability and the King's love of nature, primary school children will be sent wildflower seeds to mark the Coronation.In a further nod to sustainability and the King's love of nature, primary school children will be sent wildflower seeds to mark the Coronation.
More than 200,000 seed packets will be sent to state-funded primary schools, under the scheme run by the Eden Project and the Department of Education.More than 200,000 seed packets will be sent to state-funded primary schools, under the scheme run by the Eden Project and the Department of Education.
If planted together the project would create about 40 rugby pitch-sized wildflower meadows, the government said.
Dan James from the Eden Project said it was a fantastic opportunity for "the next generation to see the impact that wildflowers can have, even in small spaces".
Some new national nature reserves to mark the Coronation will also be formally declared this summer, including Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve.
What do you think of the invitation to swear allegiance to the King and his heirs? Will you be taking the pledge? Please email us: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
Or fill out the form below
Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
Related TopicsRelated Topics
Coronation of King Charles IIICoronation of King Charles III
Queen Consort CamillaQueen Consort Camilla
King Charles IIIKing Charles III
Ant and Dec