Welcome to these very special feely pictures celebrating the coronation of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty The Queen, on Saturday 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London.

[Music, ‘Coronation March, Orb and Sceptre’ by William Walton]

This feely picture shows the special coronation crown which is used in the ‘crowning’ of King Charles. It’s called the Saint Edward’s Crown. This crown is made of gold and is decorated with 444 colourful and sparkly jewels. It’s very, very heavy!

Let’s explore it now.

Start at the top, middle of the feely picture and trace down to find the cross at the top. Trace all over it. (Short Pause) There’s a little gold ball attached to the top of the cross (Short Pause) and there are two gold droplet beads attached to the arms on the left and right. Now trace down below the cross, where you’ll find a round, golden globe or ball shape. In the middle here is a small round red jewel.

Now trace below the ball where you’ll find the main part of the crown. Using both hands, trace all around its curved outside edges which are decorated with gold beads.

Now go back to the ball at the top and trace down the front part of the crown. Along the outside edges are rows of gold beads. In the middle you will find a large, purple jewel called an amethyst.

Now trace down below where you will find another cross, similar to the one at the top but slightly bigger. In the middle is a large, square sparkly jewel called a topaz. On the left and right of this cross are two Fleur-de-lis. The flowers and stalk are decorated with sparkly jewels.

The main cap of the crown is behind the cross and the fleur-de-lis. This is made of purple velvet. Trace around its edges and then over the soft, velvet material.

Now trace down to the main band of the crown at the bottom. Like the arches at the top, this band is edged with rows of round, gold beads. Between these rows of beads are jewels of different shapes and colours. There are five jewels shown here on the crown let’s count them together – one, two, ding three, ding four, five.

The very bottom of the crown is trimmed with soft ermine fur. Trace along the bottom of the crown and over the soft white and black fur.

I hope you enjoyed exploring this special coronation crown. Perhaps you could make a crown of your own using gold card, fabric and colourful beads!

[Music, ‘The King Shall Rejoice’ by George Frideric Handel]

Would you like to find out more about what happens at the coronation?

A coronation is a special ceremony when a new King or Queen is crowned. The ceremony begins when the King enters Westminster Abbey and the people, all shout “God save the King!”

[‘Fanfare Royal’ from The Guards in Concert The Massed Bands of the Household Division]

After this the King places his hand on the Coronation Bible and swears an oath promising to rule wisely. Next, he sits in a special seat called the Coronation Chair and the Archbishop of Canterbury will take some holy oil and will anoint the King’s forehead, hands and heart in the sign of a cross. The holy oil is a secret recipe but is known to contain olive oil, sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon and orange blossom. Mmm, I bet that smells lovely and sweet!

The King is then dressed in a spectacular gold tunic and, over the top of this, a robe made of gold. Both of these are decorated with flowers.

Next the king is given some special, golden objects: a jeweled sword, gold bracelets, a gold ring, a gold orb with a cross on top and two golden sceptres.

Finally, is the moment of ‘crowning’ where the Archbishop of Canterbury lifts the crown high above the King’s head and then places it down on top. At this point everyone shouts, “God save the King!”

* ‘Fanfare Royal’ from The Guards in Concert The Massed Bands of the Household Division

[‘God Save the King’ sung by Catherine Jenkins]

At the end the King and Queen return to Buckingham Palace in a large ceremonial procession.

[Crowds cheering]

The route back to the palace is lined with thousands of well-wishers all waving flags and hoping to get a glimpse of the King and Queen in the golden carriage. On arrival at the palace The King and Queen will be joined by other members of the royal family on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony and will wave to the crowds.

[Music, ‘Buckingham Palace’ by Petula Clark]

Welcome to these very special feely pictures celebrating the Coronation of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty The Queen, on Saturday 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London.

[Music ‘Fantasia on Greensleeves’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams]

The King is an elderly man with a kind face. When he meets people and chats with them he has a lovely smile and a jolly laugh! When he’s working and visiting schools, hospitals and charities he wears a smart suit and tie. And when he’s at home and outside in the garden I’m sure he wears a warm wooly jumper, casual trousers and wellies! King Charles loves spending time in his gardens, looking after his plants and growing seeds. He also loves painting and writing stories and books about nature. Do you like nature too? The King is also a grandad and has lots of fun and happy times with his five grandchildren. Their names are – George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet.

Are you ready to meet the King? Great let’s go.

[Brief musical interlude, Postman Pat Theme Tune]

This is a feely picture of King Charles that is found on all new stamps and coins. It’s a lot bigger than the picture on the stamp, so you can feel the detail. Start at the right hand side of the picture and trace down to find the edges of the large, rectangular stamp. (Short Pause) Trace around all four of its frilly edges.

Now find the big raised shape in the middle, which is the King’s head. As he is facing to the left, his forehead is on the left and his hair is on the right. He has short, light-grey, wavy hair. Trace down over his hair and then over his large ear on this side of his head.

Go back to the top of his forehead on the left and trace down to find his eyebrow and twinkling, blue eye below. Trace left and down over his nose, closed lips and then around his chin and neck.

Now trace over the writing in the bottom left hand corner of the stamp. This says 1st because this is a first class stamp which is purple.

[Music The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams and sounds of buzzing bees and birdsong]

Down the left-hand side of the feely picture are the national flowers of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Start with the one at the top. This is a Thistle, the national flower of Scotland. Thistles are prickly wild plants with fluffy purple flowers. Trace down and over the fluffy purple flower. Below this is the green bulb of the flower head which is quite bristly. Trace down and over the stem of the plant. To the left and right of this feel its prickly, green leaves.

Trace down to the green Shamrock, or Clover, which is the national flower of Ireland. This is a small, green plant with three fluted-shaped leaves. Find the stalk at the bottom and then trace up and over the three veins in the centre of the leaves. Then trace all around the outside, curved edges of the leaves.

Below the Shamrock is a Daffodil which is the national flower of Wales. Daffodils are beautiful, yellow, spring flowers. Trace down to find the centre of the flower, which is a bit like a trumpet-shape. Just below and around the edges of this are five yellow petals. Now trace down the green stem of the plant. Attached to the stem, on the left and right, are two long green leaves.

Lastly, below the Daffodil is a Tudor Rose, which is the floral emblem of England. Trace down and all over the flower. The raised, round centre of the flower is yellow. Surrounding this are five round white petals and around the outside of these are five larger red petals and four, tiny, green pointed leaves. Now trace down and over the short green stem. On the left and right of this are two slightly spikey, green leaves. Trace around the edges of the leaves and then across the raised veins in the centre.

[Sounds of buzzing bees and birdsong]

Do you like to smell and feel different flowers? Like King Charles you could have a go at planting some seeds, watering them and enjoying them as they grow. With your grown-up, you could plant a sunflower seed using a handful of potting soil and paper-cup. When it becomes a healthy green shoot, plant it out in a sunny spot, and don’t forget to water it! Do you know, I think it might grow taller than you! When it’s fully grown, and in full-flower, you can enjoy feeling its wonderful crown of bright-sunshine-yellow petals. When autumn comes, leave the large flower-head out for the birds to feast on the seeds. Goodbye!

[Music The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams]

Welcome to these very special tactile pictures celebrating the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen on Saturday 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. King Charles III is the 40th monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. The first coronation at Westminster was with William the Conqueror, on the 25th of December in 1066. Since then, Westminster has been Britain’s coronation church.

[Musical, ‘Coronation March, Orb and Sceptre’ by William Walton]

Hello, my name’s Mel – good to meet you! I’m excited to tell you about a very special and sparkly hat! This tactile picture shows the magnificent Saint Edward’s Crown that’s used in the ‘crowning’ of King Charles III. The Saint Edward’s Crown was made for the Coronation of Charles II on the 23rd April 1661, and was designed and created by the jeweller Robert Vyner. It was made as a replacement for a lost medieval crown, which dated back to the 11th century. It’s thought to have belonged to the royal saint, Edward the Confessor – the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. Which is perhaps why it’s called the Saint Edward’s Crown!

This crown has been altered a little over the years and measures 30.2 cm at its widest point. That’s about the length of a standard ruler. It weighs about 2.23 kilograms – that’s about the weight of four tins of baked beans! It includes 444 precious and semi-precious stones, and nearly two kilograms of gold. The stones include rubies, amethysts, sapphires, topazes, zircons, aquamarines, tourmalines and a garnet. The Saint Edward’s Crown is one of two crowns used in the coronation ceremony. Because it’s so heavy it’s replaced by the Imperial State Crown shortly after the ‘crowning’. The late Queen Elizabeth II only wore the Saint Edward’s Crown for a brief moment.

Let’s explore the Saint Edward’s Crown.

First, place both hands on the tactile picture to get a sense of its shape.In our raised image the crown is about half its actual size – so imagine it being twice as big. We’ve shown it from the front, but its appearance is very similar at the sides and the back. It’s wonderfully colourful, with the gold, its many jewels and the bright purple cap.

Start at the top middle of the tactile picture (breathing space) and trace down to find the cross that decorates the top of the crown. This is a cross pattée which is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre and splay out towards the ends. There’s a small gold spherical ball attached to the arm at the top. And there are two gold droplet beads attached to the arms on the left and right. The cross is decorated with topazes, aquamarines and other sparkly semi-precious stones but we haven’t shown them here.

Now trace down, beneath the cross, where you’ll find a gold globe. Trace over its spherical shape. (Short Pause) There’s a band that runs vertically down from the top and another that runs horizontally across the middle. In the middle is a small, red almandine garnet.

Trace below the globe and let’s explore the main structure of the crown. (Pause) Using both hands, trace out to the left and right – following the lovely curved arches, which are decorated with gold beads. You can feel these as bumps. There are four gold arches that form the top of the crown and these are inlaid with sparkly jewels and semi-precious stones.

Let’s go back to the globe and trace down to feel the arch that is facing us. Along the outer edges there are rows of gold beads. Run your fingers along them to feel the bumps. Now go back to the top of this arch and trace down to feel the bejewelled centre. (Short Pause) Here there are sparkly topazes, aquamarines and zircons. And below, there’s a large oval-shaped, purple amethyst. And lastly there’s another cluster of those sparkly stones.

Trace down again and you’ll find another gold cross, similar to the one at the top but slightly larger. In the centre is a large, sparkly, square topaz. The bottom arm of the cross joins the gold band of the crown below. To the left and right of this cross are two pretty Fleur-de-lis. Trace over to the one on the right and feel all around it. There are three pointy petals at the top (Pause) and a triple stalk below. The flowers and stalk are inlaid with more of those sparkly topazes, aquamarines and zircons.

The main cap of the crown is behind the cross and the fleur-de-lis. The cap is made of purple velvet. It has a lovely soft texture – can you feel it?

Now trace down to explore the main horizontal band of the crown. Like the arches at the top, this band is edged with rows of round, gold beads. (Short Pause) Decorating the band are colourful semi-precious stones surrounded by clusters of those sparkly topazes, aquamarines and zircons. From left to right, five big, colourful gems are shown here for you to feel. * ding ding ding ding ding

Lastly, let’s feel the base of the crown. This is the part that sits comfortably on the King’s head at the moment of crowning. It’s trimmed with soft ermine fur. The fur is white with flecks of black through it, which you can feel as raised bumps on the picture. An ermine is a type of stoat whose prized fur is favoured by royalty, as it symbolises purity.

The St Edward’s Crown was last used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It’s part of The Crown Jewels and one of the nation’s most precious treasures. The Crown Jewels have lived at the Tower of London since the 1660s, heavily guarded but on public display for all to enjoy.

[Music, ‘The King Shall Rejoice’ by George Frideric Handel]

Would you like to find out more about what happens during the coronation?

A coronation is a special ceremony when a new King or Queen is crowned. It formalises the monarch’s role as the head of the Church of England and marks the transfer of their title and powers.

There will be about 3,000 guests at the ceremony including world leaders, politicians and royalty from other countries around the world. They’ll be wearing their best outfits and filled with excitement for the historical occasion. Lots of people will also watch the coronation on television, up and down the country and all over the world!

The coronation begins with the ‘recognition.’ Here the Archbishop presents the King to the congregation. The King then turns to face all the guests and, in recognizing their King, the guests all shout, “God save the King”.

[‘Fanfare Royal’ from The Guards in Concert The Massed Bands of the Household Division]

The next part of the ceremony is the ‘oath’ which is where the King places his hand on the Coronation Bible and promises to rule wisely. He then kisses the book and signs the oath.

Next, is the ‘anointing’, where the King sits in a special seat called the Coronation Chair. This chair has been used at every coronation for the last 700 years! So it’s very, very old. It’s made of a strong wood called oak and, for the ceremony, contains a special stone from Scotland – ‘The Stone of Destiny.’

The Archbishop then takes some holy oil and anoints the King’s forehead, hands and heart in the sign of a cross. The holy oil that’s used is a secret recipe but it’s known to contain olive oil, sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon and orange blossom. Mmm, imagine the lovely sweet smell. The anointing is the most important part of a coronation. It’s a sign to show everyone that this person has been blessed by God to be the King or the Queen.

After the anointing, the King is dressed in the spectacular gold tunic called the ‘Supertunica’ and over the top of this the Imperial Mantle, which is a robe made of gold. Both of these are decorated with roses, thistles and shamrocks.

The next part of the service, called the ‘investing’, is where the King is presented with some special objects: the jeweled Sword of Offering and the Armills. The Armills are gold bracelets representing sincerity and wisdom. The monarch also receives the Sovereign’s Orb, a gold globe topped by a cross, as well as a ring and two gold scepters.

Finally, it’s the moment of ‘crowning’. The Archbishop of Canterbury lifts the St Edward’s Crown high above the King’s head and then places it down on top. At this point everyone shouts, “God save the King!”

[‘Fanfare Royal’ from The Guards in Concert The Massed Bands of the Household Division]

After this, the King changes into the Imperial Robe of purple velvet and wears the lighter Imperial State Crown for the rest of the service. The Queen is then crowned in a similar way.

[Music, ‘God Save the King’ sung by Catherine Jenkins]

At the end of the service the King and Queen return to Buckingham Palace in a large ceremonial procession, known as the coronation procession. The route back to the Palace is lined with thousands of well-wishers, all waving flags and hoping to get a glimpse of the King and Queen in the golden carriage.
[Crowds cheering]

On arrival at the Palace the King and Queen will be joined by other members of the royal family on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony and will wave to the crowds.

I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring this special coronation crown. Perhaps you could make a crown using gold card, fabric and colourful beads! Maybe you’d like to think about the symbols that you use to decorate your crown.

Perhaps you could organise your own afternoon tea party for family and friends. You could decorate the room using red white and blue bunting or flags. Oh and you could even make some special biscuits in the shape of crowns, decorated with ‘jewels’ made of sweets. Delicious! Enjoy your celebrations! Goodbye.

[Music, ‘Coronation March, Orb and Sceptre’ by William Walton]

Welcome to these very special tactile pictures celebrating the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen, on Saturday 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Hello, my name’s Roman. What’s your name? Good to meet you! Now my dad, Martin, has volunteered for Living Paintings charity – so I’m really happy to be helping out as well.

This special tactile picture includes a portrait of King Charles III, as shown on the Royal Mail stamps and all new Royal Mint coins. Wow, I mean, that’s exciting – have you got any spare change in your pocket that might have the King’s head on!

Down the left-hand side of the tactile picture are the national flowers of the United Kingdom for you to explore and enjoy.

[Music, ‘Fantasia on Greensleeves’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams]

Let’s find out more about the King.

When he was 20 years old, Charles became the Prince of Wales and has since dedicated his life to public service and charity work. The King has many other interests as well. You may have heard that he’s passionate about nature and the environment, organic farming and sustainability. But did you know that he’s an author as well as a very good painter? He has written a number a books on a range of subjects including: organic gardening, architecture and climate change. He’s even written recipe books and a children’s picture book called ‘The Old Man of Lochnagar’. King Charles is also passionate about art and really enjoys watercolour painting. His paintings include outdoor scenes such as mountains and streams, the royal palaces and the beautiful countryside surrounding them. Do you like some the same things as King Charles? If you do, you’d have lots to talk about if you met him. What would you ask him?

[Music, ‘Zadock the Priest (Coronation Anthem No. 1)’ by George Frideric Handel]

Let’s meet His Majesty the King!

Feel all over the rectangular shape on the right side of the page. (Pause) This is a Royal Mail stamp featuring a picture of the King’s head. We’ve made it a lot bigger than a real stamp, so you can feel His Majesty’s face in detail. The King’s image was originally sculpted in clay by the artist Martin Jennings – and I have to say, he’s an amazing sculptor because it looks exactly like His Majesty! In keeping with tradition, the King’s portrait faces to the left. He is sideways-on, so you can feel one side of his head.

Start at the top right of the page and trace down to feel the rectangular shape of the stamp. Trace all around its fluted edges. Now feel the big shape in the middle, which is the King’s head. As he’s facing to the left, his forehead is on the left and his hair is on the right. He has short, light-grey, wavy hair. Trace down over his hair and then over his ear on this side of his head. Go back to the top of his forehead on the left and trace down to find his eyebrow and twinkling, blue eye below. Now trace left and down over his nose, closed lips and then around his chin and neck. Can you find the writing in the bottom left-hand corner of the stamp? This says 1st because this is a first class stamp which is purple.

Next time you get some mail through your letter box it’ll probably have a stamp with the King’s head on it!

[Music, ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Ralph Vaughn Williams]

For the Coronation, a special emblem was designed by Sir Jony Ive. He is famous for being the designer at Apple from 1997 to 2019. You or your grown-up might have a phone or a laptop that he designed! The Coronation Emblem is a picture in the shape of a crown, made up of the national flower symbols of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Shall we explore the national flowers? Each flower has lots of history and meaning and you may like to find out about these interesting stories further. And if you are out and about in a garden, park or countryside you may come across these flowers – though, one of them is not actually a real flower. I wonder which one it is…let’s find out.

* Sounds of buzzing bees and birdsong

Trace over to the top left of the tactile picture and then slightly down to find the Thistle, the national flower of Scotland. Thistles are prickly wild plants with fluffy purple flowers. Trace down and over the sweet-smelling fluffy, purple flower. Below this is the green bulb of the flower-head, which is quite bristly. Now trace down and over the stem of the plant. To the left and right of this feel its prickly, green leaves.

Legend has it that the Thistle became the national emblem of Scotland because, in the 13th Century, a Norse army journeyed to Scotland hoping to conquer the land. When they arrived on the Scottish shores they planned to ambush the local Scots, so they took off their shoes and crept under the cover of night. Unfortunately though, one of them stepped on one of these prickly Thistles and cried out in pain ahhrgh waking the Scots, who then defeated the invaders!

Let’s trace down to the green Shamrock, or Clover, which is the national flower of Northern Ireland. This is a small green plant with three fluted shaped leaves. Find the stalk at the bottom and then trace up and over the three veins in the centre of the leaves. (Short Pause) Now trace all around the outside, curved edges of the leaves.

According to legend, the shamrock became important to the ancient Druids because of its three leaves. The Celts believed that everything important came in threes – like the earth, sea and sky, the three phrases of the moon and the three ages of man – so the Shamrock became an important symbol.

Below the Shamrock is a Daffodil, which is the national flower of Wales. Daffodils are beautiful, bright-yellow, spring flowers. Trace down to find the centre of the flower (breathing space) which is a bit like a trumpet-shape with fluted edges at the top. Just below and around the trumpet are five yellow petals. There’s two on the left and right, (breathing space) and one just below the central ‘trumpet’, or corona of the flower. Now trace down the green stem of the plant. Attached to the stem, on the left and right, are two long green leaves.
Daffodils became the national flower for Wales because they bloom in early March, in time for Saint David’s Day. And because they flower when winter is over, they often symbolise rebirth and new beginnings.

Lastly, below the Daffodil, is a Tudor Rose – the floral emblem of England. Trace down and all over the flower. The raised, round centre of the flower is yellow. Surrounding this are five round white petals. And around of these are five larger red petals. Trace carefully around the outside edges of the red petals to feel four, tiny, green pointed leaves. Now feel down and over the short green stem. On the left and right of this are two spikey, green leaves. Trace around the edges of the leaves and then across the raised veins in the centre.

The Tudor Rose is not actually a real flower, but it was used to symbolise Henry Tudor’s marriage to Elizabeth of York in 1486. The Tudor Rose combines the red rose of Lancaster with the white rose of York. This emblem is a common sight in England and can be found on old buildings like Hampton Court Palace in London, which was built during the reign of Henry the eighth. It’s also found on the uniforms of Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London, and even the back of 20 pence coins!

[Sounds of buzzing bees and birdsong]

Do you like planting seeds and then enjoying them as they grow into flowers? Perhaps you could grow your own wildflowers to attract the bees and butterflies. Or maybe you’d like to design your own tactile flower emblem using your favourite flowers. See you later, goodbye!

[Music, ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Ralph Vaughn Williams]

Welcome to these very special tactile pictures celebrating the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen on Saturday 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. King Charles III is the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. The first documented coronation at Westminster Abbey was that of William the Conqueror, on the 25th December, 1066. Since then, Westminster has been Britain’s coronation church.

* Music,‘Coronation March, Orb and Sceptre’ by William Walton

Hello, my name is Joanna and I’m going to tell you about the magnificent St Edward’s Crown that is used for the crowning within the historic Coronation ceremony. This crown was commissioned for the Coronation of Charles II on 23rd April 1661, and was made by the jeweller Robert Vyner. It was a replacement for the medieval crown which was melted down in 1649, after the execution of Charles I.

The lost medieval crown dated back to the 11th century and is thought to have belonged to the royal saint, Edward the Confessor – the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. Hence the reason why it’s called the St Edward’s Crown. This crown has been altered a little over the years and measures 30.2 cm at its widest point – about the length of a standard ruler. And it weighs about 2.23 kilograms – that’s about the weight of four tins of baked beans!

Adorning the crown are 444 precious and semi-precious stones and nearly two kilograms of solid gold. The colorful and sparkling stones include rubies, amethysts, sapphires, topazes, tourmalines and a garnet.

The St Edward’s Crown is one of two crowns used in the Coronation ceremony. Because it’s so heavy it’s usually replaced by the Imperial State Crown shortly after the crowning. Queen Elizabeth II only wore the Saint Edwards Crown for a brief moment!

Let’s explore the Saint Edward’s Crown. First, place both hands on the tactile picture to get a sense of its shape. In our raised image, the crown is about half its actual size. So imagine it twice this size.

We have shown it from the front, but its appearance is very similar at the sides and the back. It is wonderfully colourful and vibrant, with the gold, its many jewels and the bright purple cap.

Start at the top and in the middle of the tactile picture and trace down to find the cross that decorates the top of the crown. Trace all over it. This is a cross pattée which is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre and splay out towards the ends. There’s a small gold spherical ball attached to the arm at the top. And there are two gold droplet beads attached to the ends of the arms on the left and right. The cross is inlaid with sparkly jewels and other colourful semi-precious stones but we haven’t shown them here. Now trace down, beneath the cross, where you’ll find a gold globe. Trace over its spherical shape. There’s a band that runs vertically down from the top and another that runs horizontally across the middle. In the middle is a small, red almandine garnet.

Trace below the globe and explore the main structure of the crown. Using both hands, trace out to the left and right following the lovely curved arches which are decorated with gold beads. There are four gold arches that form the top of the crown and these are inlaid with sparkly semi-precious stones.

Let’s go back to the globe and trace down, to feel the arch that is facing us. Along the outer edges there are rows of gold beads. Run your fingers along them. Now go back to the top of this arch and trace down the bejewelled centre. Here there are ornate, gold, filigree squares that are inset with sparkly topazes, aquamarines and zircons. Below, there’s an oval shaped, purple amethyst. And below this there’s another cluster of those sparkly stones.

Trace down again and you’ll find another gold cross, similar to the one at the top but slightly larger. In the centre is a large, sparkly, square topaz. The bottom arm of the cross joins to the gold band of the crown below. To the left and right of this cross are two pretty Fleur-de-lis. Trace over to the one on the right and feel all around it. There are three pointy petals at the top and a triple stalk at the bottom. The flowers and stalk are inlaid with more sparkly topazes, aquamarines and zircons.

Now to the soft, main cap of the crown. You will find it below the golden arches and behind the cross and the fleur-de-lis. The cap is made of purple velvet. Feel over its beautifully soft texture.

Let’s explore the main horizontal gold band of the crown. Trace down from the cap, and below the cross and Fleur-de-lis to find the bejewelled gold band. Once again, like the arches at the top, this band is edged with rows of round, gold beads which you can feel at little bumps. Decorating the band are colourful semi-precious stones, surrounded by clusters of sparkly topazes, aquamarines and zircons as well as bigger, colourful jewels. Shown here from left to right there is – a square shaped yellow citrine, a square shaped green tourmaline, a green, oval shaped tourmaline (Short Pause), a square yellow citrine and finally another square green tourmaline. (Pause) More citrine and tourmaline jewels adorn the crown all around the band.

Lastly, let’s feel the base of the crown. This is the part that sits comfortably on the King’s head at the moment of crowning. Trace horizontally from left to right. It is trimmed with soft ermine fur. The fur is white with flecks of black through it, which you can feel as raised bumps on the tactile picture. An ermine is a type of stoat whose prized fur is favoured by royalty, as it symbolises purity.

The sacred Coronation Regalia, including the St Edward’s Crown, were most recently used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. There is also the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, the Sovereign’s Orb, and the Coronation Spoon. And along with the Imperial State Crown, these objects form ‘The Crown Jewels’. They are the nation’s most precious treasures and are part of the Royal Collection, held in trust by the monarch for the nation. They have lived at the Tower of London since the 1660s, heavily guarded but on public display for all to enjoy.

[Music, ‘The King Shall Rejoice’ George Frideric Handel]

Would you like to know more about what happens during the historic occasion of the coronation ceremony?

A coronation formalises a monarch’s role as the head of the Church of England and marks the transfer of their title and powers. There will be about 3,000 guests at the ceremony including world leaders and politicians and royalty from other countries around the world.

The coronation begins with the ‘recognition.’ Here the Archbishop of Canterbury presents the King to the congregation. The King then turns to face all the guests and, in recognizing their new King, the guests all shout “God save the King”.

[‘Fanfare Royal’ from The Guards in Concert The Massed Bands of the Household Division]

After this King Charles will place his hand on the Coronation Bible and swear an oath to uphold the law and the Church of England.

Next, is the ‘anointing’, where the King sits in a special seat called the Coronation Chair. This chair has been used at every coronation for the last 700 years! It’s made of oak and, for the ceremony, contains a special stone from Scotland – ‘The Stone of Destiny.’ The Archbishop of Canterbury will then pour holy oil from a glass ampulla into a special coronation spoon, and will anoint the King’s hands, head and heart in the sign of the cross. This is the most important part of a coronation as it signifies that this person has been blessed by God to be the King. The oil has been created using olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives, at the Monastery of Mary Magdalene and the Monastery of the Ascension.

The Monastery of Mary Magdalene is the burial place of His Majesty’s grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece. Other ingredients include: sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon and orange blossom. [inhale] Imagine the wonderfully sweet and fragrant smell!

After the anointing, the King is dressed in the spectacular gold tunic called the ‘Supertunica’ and over the top of this the ‘Imperial Mantle’, which is a robe made of gold. Both of these are decorated with roses, thistles and shamrocks.

The next part of the service, called the ‘investing’, is where the King is presented with some special objects: the jeweled Sword of Offering and the Armills. The Armills are gold bracelets representing sincerity and wisdom. The monarch also receives the Sovereign’s Orb, a gold globe topped by a cross, as well as a ring and two gold sceptres.

Finally, is the moment of ‘crowning’ where the Archbishop of Canterbury lifts the St Edward’s Crown high above the King’s head and then places it down on top. At this point everyone shouts “God save the King!”.

[‘Fanfare Royal’ from The Guards in Concert The Massed Bands of the Household Division]

After this, the King changes into the Imperial Robe of purple velvet and wears the lighter Imperial State Crown for the rest of the service. The Queen is then crowned in a similar way.

[‘God Save the King’ sung by Catherine Jenkins]

At the end of the service King and Queen return to Buckingham Palace in a large ceremonial procession, known as ‘the coronation procession’.

[Crowds cheering sounds]

The route back to the palace is lined with thousands of well-wishers, all waving flags and hoping to get a glimpse of the King and Queen in the golden carriage.

On arrival at the palace, the King and Queen are joined by other members of the royal family on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony and wave to the cheering crowds.

I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring this special coronation crown. Perhaps you could make a crown of your own using gold card, fabric and colourful beads!

To celebrate the Coronation perhaps you could organise your own afternoon tea party. You could decorate the room using red white and blue bunting or flags. Perhaps you could bake some special biscuits in the shape of crowns and decorate them with sweeties for the ‘jewels’. Enjoy your celebrations! Goodbye.

[Music, ‘Coronation March, Orb and Sceptre’ by William Walton]

Welcome to these very special tactile pictures celebrating the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen on Saturday 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Hello my name is Omid and I’m delighted to introduce you to King Charles! I’m an actor and comedian and I played a part in the amazing Jubilee Pageant in 2022, entertaining our late Queen at Windsor Castle – which was also watched by millions on TV! Now, rumour has it that King Charles has a wicked and rather fabulous sense of humour – but more on that later!

This tactile picture includes the image of His Majesty the King as shown on the Royal Mail stamps and all new Royal Mint coins. Down the left-hand side of the tactile picture are the four national flowers of the United Kingdom for you to enjoy.

Before we explore the tactile picture let’s find out more about the King.

[Music, ‘Fantasia on Greensleeves’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams]

His Majesty the King has dedicated his life to public service and charity work. As Prince of Wales he was patron to over 500 charities and the founder of a number of charities including The Prince’s Trust. As King he will take on more charity patronages previously held by Queen Elizabeth II. His Majesty the King has many other interests as well – you may have heard that he’s passionate about nature and the environment, organic farming and sustainability. But did you know that he’s also an author as well as a very successful painter? He has written a number a books on a range of subjects including: organic gardening, architecture, climate change, recipe books and he’s even written a children’s picture book called ‘The Old Man of Lochnagar’.

[Sounds of buzzing bees and birdsong]

His Majesty is also very passionate about art and painting, and as well as being patron to The National Gallery and The Royal Collection, he enjoys doing watercolour painting. His paintings include outdoor scenes such as mountains and streams, the royal palaces and the beautiful countryside surrounding them.

Let’s meet His Majesty the King.

Feel all over the large rectangular shape on the right side of the page. This is a Royal Mail stamp featuring a picture of the King’s head. We’ve made it a lot bigger than a real stamp, so you can feel His Majesty’s face in detail. The King’s image was originally sculpted in clay by the artist Martin Jennings – and I have to say, he’s an amazing sculptor because it looks exactly like His Majesty! In keeping with tradition, the King faces to the left, in profile. So he is sideways-on, and you can feel one side of his head and face.

Start at the top right of the picture and trace down to find the edges of the large, rectangular stamp. Trace all around its fluted edges. From the top of the stamp, in the middle, trace down to find the large raised shape of the King’s portrait. Start at the top of the King’s head.

As he’s facing to the left, his forehead is on the left and his hair is on the right. He has short, light-grey, wavy hair. Trace down over his hair and then over his large ear on this side of his head.

Go back to the top of his forehead on the left and trace down to find his eyebrow and his twinkling, blue eye. Now feel left and down, over his nose, closed lips and then around his chin and neck.

Lastly, feel over the writing in the bottom left-hand corner of the stamp. This says 1st because this is a first class stamp, which is wonderful deep, purple colour – the same colour as the cap on the Saint Edward’s Crown. (Pause) Next time you get some mail through your letter box it’ll probably have a stamp with the King’s head on it!

[Music, ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Ralph Vaughn Williams]

For the Coronation, an official emblem was designed by Sir Jony Ive. It is a picture in the shape of the St Edward’s Crown, made up of the national flower symbols of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The emblem symbolises and celebrates the historic beginning of the new Reign and pays tribute to the King’s love of the natural world. The emblem features throughout the historic occasion, including the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey and the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, as well as national events, street parties and community gatherings. The design also features on souvenirs such as mugs, tea towels, umbrellas and bunting!

As already mentioned, the official Coronation Emblem was designed by Sir Jony Ive, a British industrial and product designer. He was the chief design officer at Apple from 1997 until 2019 – so, if you have your own an iPhone then he probably designed that! Sir Jony is involved in the creative collective called LoveFrom, who also designed the red nose for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day in 2023!

Let’s explore the four national flowers that feature in the emblem design. Each flower has lots of history and symbolism and you may like to explore these stories further.

[Sounds of buzzing bees and birdsong]

Trace over to the top left of the tactile picture and then slightly down to find the Thistle, the national flower of Scotland. Thistles are prickly wild plants with fluffy purple flowers. Trace down and over the fluffy purple flower. Below this is the green bulb of the flower head which is quite bristly.
Feel down and over the stem of the plant. To the left and right of this feel its prickly, green leaves. Legend has it that the Thistle became the national emblem of Scotland because, in the 13th Century, a Norse army journeyed to Scotland hoping to conquer the land. When they arrived on the Scottish shores they planned to ambush the local Scots. So they took off their shoes and crept under the cover of night. Unfortunately though, one of them stepped on one of these prickly Thistles and cried out in pain – arrrgh – waking the Scots, who then defeated the invaders.

Next, trace down to the green Shamrock, or Clover, which is the national flower of Northern Ireland. This is a small green plant with three fluted shaped leaves. Find the stalk at the bottom and then trace up and over the three veins in the centre of the leaves. Then trace all around the outside, curved edges of the leaves. According to legend, the shamrock became important to the ancient Druids because of its three leaves. The Celts believed that everything important came in threes like the earth, sea and sky, the three phrases of the moon and the three ages of man, so the Shamrock became an important symbol.

Below the Shamrock is a Daffodil, which is the national flower of Wales. Daffodils are beautiful, yellow, spring flowers. Feel the centre of the flower, which is a bit like a trumpet-shape with fluted edges at the top. Just below and around the edges of this are five yellow petals – two on the left and right and one just below the central ‘trumpet’, or corona of the flower. (Pause) Now trace down the green stem of the plant. Attached to the stem, on the left and right, are two long green leaves. Daffodils became the national flower for Wales because they flower in early March, in time for Saint David’s Day. And because they flower when winter is over, they often symbolise rebirth and new beginnings.

Lastly, below the Daffodil, is a Tudor Rose – the floral emblem of England. (Pause) Trace down and all over the flower. The raised, round centre of the flower is yellow. Surrounding this are five round white petals. And around of these are five larger red petals. Trace carefully around the outside edges of the red petals to feel four, tiny, green pointed leaves. Now feel down and over the short green stem. On the left and right of this are two spikey, green leaves. Trace around the edges of the leaves and then across the raised veins in the centre.

The Tudor Rose is not actually a real flower but it was used to symbolize Henry Tudor’s marriage to Elizabeth of York. The Tudor Rose combines the red rose of Lancaster with the white rose of York. This emblem is a common sight in England and can be found on old buildings like Hampton Court Palace in London, which was built during the reign of Henry the eighth. It’s also found on the uniforms of Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London and even the back of twenty pence coins!

[Sounds of buzzing bees and birdsong]

Inspired by King Charles and his love of nature, maybe you’d like to plant some seeds and enjoy them as they grow into flowers? Perhaps you could grow wildflowers to attract the bees and butterflies – you can do this in a plant pot or in your garden, or at school. And just like Sir Jony Ive, you could design and create your own tactile logo featuring things that you feel symbolise and celebrate the four nations today. Goodbye!

I was very lucky to play the Herald in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration in Windsor, in May 2022. The Herald is a special character who connects the people to the monarch. So I was there in the herald’s costume, saying silly things and keeping the whole evening together. There was some speculation that the Queen was not going to be there, because she had not been able to attend the state opening of parliament. It’s the first time that had happened in 70 years. And yet a few days later, there she was at this specific celebration. And I don’t know what came over me, I just said to her thank you for choosing us over the state opening of parliament. And she laughed. And apparently they said I was the last person to make the Queen laugh in public. And apparently the person who told her to come was Princess Ann, because she’d seen the show the night before, and she told her – Mummy you’ve got come, the show is really funny! And she came because she wanted to laugh. Goodbye.

[Music, ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Ralph Vaughn Williams]