Coronation Emblem: Symbol of Challenges and Opportunities for a New Era

Emblem for the Coronation of King Charles III

 

The passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022 marked the end of an era – the Second Elizabethan Era, personified by her grace, dignity, and commitment to duty and service, especially with being from the Greatest Generation that served in World War II.

In a letter I sent to the Queen on September 3^rd, I conveyed my congratulations on her Platinum Jubilee, as well as my admiration and respect for her decades of service to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and beyond. Furthermore, I also wrote:

“While Your Majesty may not be seen as much in public as in the past, that is quite understandable, and indeed, Your Majesty does deserve to relax and be at ease after more than 70 years of being steadfast to the promise Your Majesty made at age 21 to devote Your Majesty’s life, “whether it be long or short”, to the service of Your Majesty’s people, and therein lies something to which all of us should look to as a model for our own lives.

Even in the depths of a once-in-a-century pandemic, Your Majesty’s dedication was quite admirable, and if I may say so, your speech in the early days of the pandemic, with its reference to Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again”, was comforting and resonating at that particularly bleak time. Your continued dedication to service via virtual means is a remarkable testament to the technological advances that have taken place over the course of Your Majesty’s remarkable reign and lifetime.”

With much regret, that letter did not arrive in time before the Queen’s passing. Now, with the accession of King Charles III – whose apprenticeship as his mother’s heir-apparent and Prince of Wales was the longest in British history – we are now in a new Carolean Age. With that has come changes in iconography, currency, post/pillar boxes, and gender designations from female to male. These changes will take time getting used to, thanks to the Queen’s 70-year reign, which made her the only British monarch most of us had ever known.

Among the new icons unveiled in this new Carolean Era is the emblem for the King’s Coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. It unifies the floral emblems of the four home nations of the United Kingdom; the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland. They pay tribute to the King’s love of the natural world and together, they create the shape of St. Edward’s Crown, with which Charles III will be crowned during the coronation service.

As a person for whom the unity of the United Kingdom has been important, this emblem for the coronation is particularly meaningful. It is a demonstration to the world and perhaps even to people in the UK itself that the UK is not, and has never been, just England, and that the UK has always been the sum of its constituent parts through a complex web of history, individual contributions, collective sacrifice, and shared experiences that are as interwoven as the coronation emblem itself. Indeed, there is something quite special about this diversity, which has become richer through immigration from the Commonwealth and other places, and the King himself has spoken repeatedly about Britain’s many communities and their respective importance to British national life.

The monarchy itself has been at the heart of national life for over a thousand years. It is therefore an ancient institution that represents the good, the bad, the ugly, the truth of what Britain is, and can be, as a nation. It is the connection between Britain’s past and present, and therefore has an obligation to constructively bring all Britons together in a shared future that is sure to be more complex. Whilst representing tradition, it also weaves a delicate balance with modernity as British society evolves and changes. This penchant for flexibility and adaptation has been a hallmark of the monarchy, and the King is expected to continue in this tradition.

In this light, the coronation emblem – designed using the red, white, and blue of the Union Flag – is rooted in ancient iconography for a new era in which the religious, social, cultural, and ethnic diversity of the United Kingdom may be effectively acknowledged and celebrated within the context of great British traditions, such as the coronation itself. Indeed, the coronation service, whilst still an Anglican service at its heart, is supposed to reflect the nature of the UK in 2023 with the incorporation of diverse elements of modern British society. This is consistent with the King in his role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith, but also showing respect toward other faiths. Additionally, there are other events meant to bring people and communities together throughout the country for this historic occasion in a display of unity which the monarchy is supposed to inculcate.

Over the course of her 70-year reign, the Queen strived to represent such unity and she gained the admiration and respect of many people, including those who are indifferent or otherwise against the monarchy as an institution. The great test going forward will be to transfer that admiration and respect to her heirs and successors, so that a vast cross-section of the UK will continue to see the monarchy as worth maintaining, as well as relevant to their present and future.

This may prove deeply challenging due to the current state of affairs in the UK, namely the fractures and controversies within the Royal Family and throughout British society more broadly, with the social, political, and economic dislocations of recent years that have brought fresh scrutiny unto many aspects of British life, including the monarchy itself, particularly among younger Britons. The colonial legacy, out of which were born the Empire and Commonwealth, is another issue which must be robustly addressed going forward by the monarchy, given its role – direct and indirect – in said legacy. Furthermore, whereas the Queen came to the throne at 25 years old and remained much of an enigma to the end, her son is 74 and a lot is known about him, with perceptions of him being firmly established among most of the public for better or worse.

This is not to say that it’s all doom and gloom for the monarchy, if for no other reason than the institution has been here before, with questions about its fitness and future amid societal, political, and economic shifts. However, the increasingly multi-ethnic, multi-faith, and secular composition of the UK makes the situation more complicated, and the monarchy will have to balance the needs of multiple constituencies that are as intertwined as the components of the coronation emblem to create something that is the total sum of the United Kingdom.

Therefore, this ancient institution and the embodiment of Britishness is facing a major test of its penchant for flexibility and adaptability in the 21^st Century without the much-beloved Elizabeth II at the helm. One can only hope with utmost sincerity that Charles III – trained to the hilt over seven decades and with well-established capabilities – will rise to the occasion and that the unity expressed symbolically in this coronation emblem will become realized in due time, during the coronation weekend and beyond. In summation, it does represent the complexities of the past and the hope for the future.

On This Day: January 15

1559 - Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey

The 25-year-old Queen in her coronation robes.

     Elizabeth Tudor had actually become Queen on November 17, 1558 upon the death of her childless half-sister, Mary I, but this ceremony marked Elizabeth's official crowning and anointing as a reigning monarch before her people. It was a mix of traditional Latin and new Protestant elements. She was crowned by Owen Oglethorpe, the Catholic Bishop of Carlisle (the only Bishop prepared to conduct the ceremony), and parts of the service were conducted twice - in Latin and English. The firmly Protestant Elizabeth instructed Oglethorpe not to elevate the Host (or sacramental bread), but he did so anyway, inciting the Queen's displeasure, which resulted in him losing his position. Aside from this, she emerged from the Abbey smiling and with a throng of crowds cheering her on as she carried the orb and sceptre - symbolic of the authority of her office.

     Elizabeth would go on to reign for 44 years, and this longevity produced a measure of stability for her kingdom in the wake of the short reigns of her half-brother Edward VI, her cousin Lady Jane Grey, and her half-sister Mary I. This period became known as the Elizabethan Era, which was marked the seafaring adventures of people like Sir Francis Drake and the early attempts of North American colonization by Sir Walter Raleigh, as well as by a renaissance in English art and literature, led by figures such as the playwright William Shakespeare. 

     It was also a period of religious struggle and tension between various factions of Catholics and Protestants following the Reformation, which resulted in the Elizabethan Settlement and the establishment of the Church of England, which adopted a Catholic appearance and Protestant doctrine with Elizabeth as Supreme Governor. This religious struggle was a source of her troubles with her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, and partly lead to the attempted Catholic Spanish invasion of Protestant England, which failed when the Spanish Armada was defeated. The English victory further enhanced Elizabeth's standing among her people as Gloriana and Good Queen Bess. 

     She was also famously known as the Virgin Queen for not marrying and producing an heir, which resulted in her becoming the last Tudor monarch. Upon her death in 1603, she was succeeded by her cousin, James VI of Scotland (son of Elizabeth's rival, Mary) of the House of Stuart, who became James I of England and Ireland.

1945 - Birth of Princess Michael of Kent

Princess Michael of Kent in a photograph by Allan Warren.

     Today marks the 69th birthday of Princess Michael of Kent, the wife of Prince Michael of Kent, who is a first cousin of the Queen. She was born as Marie Christine von Reibnitz in Carlsbad (now known as Karlovy Vary), in the Sudetenland of what is now the Czech Republic. Being a descendant of generations of European royalty, she has been titled as a Baroness throughout her life.

     She married Prince Michael in a civil ceremony in 1978, following the annulment of her first marriage to a British banker, Thomas Troubridge, and upon receiving permission from Pope John Paul II, the couple were married in a Roman Catholic ceremony in 1983. Prince and Princess Michael have two children: Lord Frederick Windsor (1979) and Lady Gabriella Windsor (1981). By marrying a Catholic, Prince Michael forfeited his rights to succeed to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms, though his children remain in the line of succession since they have been raised as Protestants.

     Along with her husband, Princess Michael does not carry out regular royal duties, and does not receive public funding from HM Government. However, she has represented the Queen and other working members of royal family on some occasions, such as attending the independence celebrations in Belize in 1981 with her husband. In 2011, she presided over the launching ceremony of the Green Pilgrimage Network in Assisi, Italy on the behalf of Prince Philip, who founded the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, which organized the Network. In addition, she has supports Prince Michael in his work as the Patron of several organizations. In recognition of the charity work and limited royal engagements, the couple have received some financial support from the Queen's personal funds. 

     As a devout Catholic, she was a high-profile attendee of events marking Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom in 2010, including a Mass at Westminster Cathedral.

     In her professional life, Princess Michael has been an interior decorator, and is the author of four books (three nonfiction and one fiction). Her most recent book - a novel named The Queen Of Four Kingdoms - was released in 2013.

1991 - Victoria Cross for Australia is created by Elizabeth II

Obverse of the medal for the Victoria Cross

     It was on this day in 1991 that Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia signed letters patent which instituted the Victoria Cross for the sole use of Australians as part of that country's honors system. The Victoria Cross was established by Queen Victoria in 1856 as the highest military award for valor "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces in countries throughout the British Empire and later, the Commonwealth. In the later 20th Century, some Commonwealth countries developed their own honors systems independent of the British/Imperial orders, and it became necessary to create new awards and decorations that were the equivalent of the ones issued from the UK. With the Queen's letters patent, Australia became the first Commonwealth realm to create its own version of the Victoria Cross, which is the highest award in the Australian Honors System.



Photo Credit: Allan Warren via Wikimedia Commons cc, Richard Harvey via Wikimedia Commons cc

On This Day: December 28

Westminster Abbey.

     In 1065, Westminster Abbey was consecrated in the name of King Edward the Confessor. The site on which the Abbey is built was originally occupied by a small Benedictine monastery that had been founded under the patronage of King Edgar the Peaceful and St. Dunstan in 960. Edward decided to build a new, larger church in the honor of St. Paul the Apostle, which was done in a Norman Romanesque style. He was too ill to attend the consecration, and died a few days later. His remains were interred in the Abbey, where they remain to this day.

Mary II.

     In 1694, Queen Mary II of England, Scotland, and Ireland died at the age of 32. She was the eldest daughter of James VII & II through his first wife, Anne Hyde, and was married to her first cousin, William of Orange. During the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89, King James was deposed when William invaded Britain under an invitation to do so by leading political figures. William and Mary eventually became joint monarchs of England and Ireland (as William III and Mary II) on February 13, 1689 and of Scotland (as William II and Mary II) on May 11th. In practice, the exercise of sovereignty was vested in William, who acted on his and his wife's behalf (though he heavily relied on her council). While William was away on military campaigns, Mary did effectively rule their kingdoms by herself. Following her death from smallpox, William reigned alone until his death in 1702.

Photo Credit: Σπάρτακος via Wikimedia Commons cc

Royal Profile: Henry II of England

     On this day in 1154, Henry II of England and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, were crowned at Westminster Abbey. Henry was the son of Matilda, a daughter of Henry I of England, and Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. 

     When the only legitimate son and heir of Henry I died in a shipping accident, the issue of succession to the English throne was throne into question. Eventually, Henry decided that his daughter Matilda should inherit the Crown upon his death. Yet the English nobles wanted a male successor, preferably Henry's nephew Stephen, and when Henry I died in 1135, Matilda was away in France, and Stephen - with the support of much of the nobility - seized the throne and became king. Matilda eventually landed in England and asserted her claim, which then led to a period known as The Anarchy, a 19-year civil war in which the country was divided between the warring cousins. In the end, Stephen retained his position as king, but acknowledged Matilda's son Henry as his successor.

     Upon Stephen's death, Henry - already an established ruler of provincial lands in France such as Normandy - crossed the English Channel with his family to claim the throne of his grandfather and namesake, Henry I, and also like him, would go on to reign for 35 years.

     The early part of his reign involved reuniting the country and restoring law & order following the chaos of the civil war. He issued standardized royal orders - known as writs - that were impressed by the great seal of the realm, and which dealt with the most common legal problems of Henry's subjects, and they were mass-produced so that the justice provided by the King could be everywhere at any given time. This legal and administrative innovation is considered to be the basis for English Common Law, the system under which many countries operate - including the United States and other former British colonies.

     In later years, he clashed with the Church - and in particular, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury - over general question's of where ultimate authority lay in England, whether it be with the king or with the Church under the pope and his officials. These tensions eventually resulted in Becket's assassination by armed knights under King Henry, who is reputed to have said: "Who will rid me of the turbulent priest?" 

     He also had to deal with rebellions by his sons, whose own appetite for land and power Henry could never satisfy, and from time to time, they would ally themselves with the King of France against their father.

     Henry eventually lost his grip on power as his health began to fail him and died in despair in 1189. Two of his sons would go on to become King of England and head of his larger empire that included parts of France, Wales, and Ireland: Richard I (Coeur de Lion, or the Lionheart) and John, who lost much of the family empire and was forced to sign Magna Carta.