Queen Elizabeth II on her Coronation Day

The Imperial Robe (also Robe of Estate or Imperial State Robe) is a robe used in the

coronation of the British monarch The coronation of the monarch of the United Kingdom is an initiation ceremony in which they are formally invested with regalia and crowned at Westminster Abbey. It corresponds to the coronations that formerly took place in other European monarch ...

. It is donned in the final stages of the ceremony for the procession of the monarch from Westminster Abbey to the waiting

Gold State Coach The Gold State Coach is an enclosed, eight-horse-drawn carriage used by the British royal family. Commissioned in 1760 by Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, for King George III, and designed by Sir William Chambers, it was bui ...

. These Robes were last seen at the

coronation of Charles III and Camilla The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, Camilla, as Monarchy of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth re ...

, with King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

wearing the Imperial Robe of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

, and

Queen Camilla Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. Camilla was raised in East ...

having a new robe made for her.

Use

The robe is donned at the end of the coronation when, after being crowned and receiving homage the monarch proceeds to the shrine and tomb of Saint

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

. Here the regalia are removed and the

Robe Royal The Robe Royal (also known as the ''Pallium Regale'', Imperial Mantle or Dalmatic Robe) is a robe worn by the British monarch when he or she is crowned. It is donned just before the monarch is invested with the Orb, Ring and Sceptres. It is w ...

and

Stole Royal The Stole Royal (sometime erroneously called the ''Armilla'') is an item of regalia used during the coronation of a British monarch, similar to the stole (vestment), stoles worn as vestments by clergymen. It is donned after the anointing of th ...

taken off. The monarch is enrobed with the Imperial Robe and processes out of the Abbey whilst wearing the

Imperial State Crown The Imperial State Crown is the state crown of the British monarch. Based on the design of Queen Victoria's Crown of 1838, which had fallen into disrepair, it was made in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI. The crown remains in use today ...

and carrying the Orb and Sceptre with Cross. During the coronation the monarch is enrobed by the

lord great chamberlain The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal but above the Lord High Constable of England, Lord High Constable. The office of Lo ...

who is assisted by the

groom of the robes Groom of the Robes is an office in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of England (later Great Britain, ultimately the United Kingdom). In 1953, the Groom of the Robes to Elizabeth II had the task of bringing forward the robes and other items of c ...

and the

master of the robes The Master of the Robes is an office in the British Royal Household. He is responsible for the King's robes at times such as a coronation, the annual Order of the Garter service and the State Opening of Parliament. Since the reign of Edward VII, th ...

mistress of the robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...

. The monarch enters the

to return to Buckingham Palace where their coronation day concludes with a balcony appearance to the waiting public.

Imperial Robe of George V

The Imperial Robe of

was made of purple silk velvet embroidered in gold. After adjustments by Ede & Ravenscroft, the Imperial Robe of George V was used by his great-grandson,

, for his coronation in 2023.

Imperial Robe of Elizabeth II

Most robes used in the coronation ceremony, with the exception of the historic

and

Supertunica A Supertunica is a robe worn by British monarchs at their coronation. It is donned shortly after the Anointing ceremony for the vesting of the Crown_Jewels_of_the_United_Kingdom#Spurs, Spurs, Crown_Jewels_of_the_United_Kingdom#Swords, Sword of ...

, are made new for each monarch. Elizabeth II firstly considered reusing her grandfather's Imperial Robe, as her father did at his coronation in 1937, but instead decided to commission a new one, in line with tradition. There was concern that in post-war austerity Britain that sufficient material would not be found to make the robe but supplies of raw silk were sourced from the silk farm of Lady Zoe Hart Dyke in

Lullingstone Lullingstone is a rural hamlet in the civil parish of Eynsford, in the Sevenoaks District, Sevenoaks district of Kent, England, located south east of Swanley. It is best known for its Lullingstone Castle, castle, Lullingstone Roman Villa, Roman ...

, Kent. The silk was woven into velvet on a

hand loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...

. Elizabeth's Imperial Robe is long and weighs . It is of purple velvet trimmed with ermine. It is decorated with embroidery featuring 18 types of gold thread, seed pearls, crystals and coloured silks. The designs include national and Commonwealth symbols and crowns; the principal design is a border of wheat ears, symbolising plenty, and olive branches, symbolising peace. The embroidery took a team of 12 people 3,500 hours to make between March and May 1953.

References

{{Coronation of the British monarch, state=collapsed Monarchy of the United Kingdom Ceremonial clothing English clothing Regalia

Use

Imperial Robe of George V

Imperial Robe of Elizabeth II

See also

References