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

anointing Anointing is the ritual, ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, ...

of the monarch and is worn throughout the crowning, receiving of homage and conclusion of the communion. The Stole Royal is removed, with other garments, before the procession from Westminster Abbey for which the

Imperial Robe The Imperial Robe (also Robe of Estate or Imperial State Robe) is a robe used in the coronation of the British monarch. It is donned in the final stages of the ceremony for the procession of the monarch from Westminster Abbey to the waiting Gold ...

is worn.

Use

The monarch enters

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

for their coronation wearing the

Robe of State The Robe of State (also known as the Parliament Robe) is a robe worn by the British monarch on state occasions. A monarch typically has a robe made for their coronation and reuses it when attending the State Opening of Parliament at the start o ...

. This is removed for the anointing ceremony in which they wear the ('shroud tunic'), an intentionally plain robe. After the anointing the monarch dons the more ornate

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 ...

over the . After they have been invested with regalia including the Spurs, Sword of Offering and the Armills the monarch dons the Stole Royal and

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 ...

over the top of the Supertunica for their crowning ceremony. Immediately after donning the Stole Royal and Robe Royal the monarch is invested with the Orb,

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

and Sceptres. After the monarch is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and receives homage from the bishops, peers of the realm and members of the Royal Family, the act of communion is concluded and 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 succeed ...

. Here the regalia, Robe Royal and Stole Royal are removed and replaced with the Imperial Robe which is worn for the ceremonial procession out of the church. 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 Stole Royal is similar to the stoles worn as vestments by clergymen. It is a long, narrow length of cloth worn around the neck with the two ends hanging down the front. The Stoles Royal are usually embroidered with gold and silver thread and decorated with jewels and pearls. The Stole Royal is sometimes improperly called the ''Armilla'', though this refers to the two mediaeval style armlets donned at around the same time as the Stole Royal. The practice of using a Stole Royal at coronations is thought to date back many years.

King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

was buried in his coronation robes, and when his tomb was opened in 1774 a stole was among the items found.

Stole Royal of Victoria

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's Stole Royal was lined with crimson sarsenet and embroidered with eagles, roses, fleurs-de-lys, crosses and crowns.

Stole Royal of Edward VII

The stole worn by

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

at his 1902 coronation was wide and an ell, long.

Stole Royal of George V

The Stole Royal 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 ...

was made of

cloth of gold Cloth of gold or gold cloth (Latin: ''Tela aurea'') is a textile, fabric woven with a gold-wrapped or spinning (textiles), spun weft—referred to as "a spirally spun gold strip". In most cases, the core yarn is silk, wrapped (''filé'') with a ...

with a rose-coloured silk lining. The stole was in width and in length and had a gold bullion fringe at either end. At each end it had the red cross of

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

on white background. Above the cross was embroidery depicting an eagle, representing the Empire, surmounted by symbols of the Home Nations: a rose (for England), thistle (for Scotland), shamrock (for Ireland), dragon (for Wales). Above these were symbols of the dominions: a lotus (for India), maple (for Canada), wattle flower (for South Africa), the Southern Cross (for Australia) and the stars from the New Zealand flag.

Stole Royal of George VI

The Stole Royal of

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

was made of cloth of gold and decorated with symbols of the Empire in coloured thread and arranged in a flowing pattern.

Stole Royal of Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

wore a narrow Stole Royal of gold silk with fringed ends and a lining of red silk. This Stole Royal was made in 1953 by the

Worshipful Company of Girdlers The Worshipful Company of Girdlers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Girdlers were granted the right to regulate their trade in the City from 1327 and obtained a Royal Charter in 1449. Girdlers, or makers of belts and g ...

, based on mediaeval patterns. It had intricate embroidery showing various religious, national and Commonwealth symbols. Among the Christian symbols used are the crosses of Saint Andrew,

and

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

, the patron saints of Scotland, England and Ireland, and the

crossed keys of Saint Peter Papal regalia and insignia are the official items of attire and decoration proper to the Pope in his capacity as the visible head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State. Regalia The regalia of the papacy include the ...

, an early leader of the Christian church. Also included are symbols associated with the

Four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...

: an angel for

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

, a winged lion for

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

, a winged bull for

Luke Luke may refer to: People and fictional characters * Luke (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Luke (surname), including a list of people with the name * Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luk ...

and an eagle for

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. A dove represents the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

and a crowned eagle also features. Depictions of plants were used to represent the Home Nations and

Commonwealth Realms A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has the same constitutional monarch and head of state as the other realms. The current monarch is King Charles III. Except for the United Kingdom, in each of the ...

including a Tudor rose (England), a leek (Wales), shamrock (Northern Ireland), thistle (Scotland), wattle flower (Australia), maple leaf (Canada), two types of lotus (India and Sri Lanka), fern (New Zealand), cotton, jute and wheat (Pakistan) and the protea (South Africa).

Stole Royal of Charles III

A new Stole Royal was made in 2023 for

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 ...

by the

Royal School of Needlework The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is a hand embroidery school in the United Kingdom, founded in 1872 and based at Hampton Court Palace since 1987. History The RSN began as the School of Art Needlework in 1872, founded by Lady Victoria Welby. ...

, taking inspiration from the 1953 stole of his predecessor, Elizabeth II. It is adorned with emblems of the four countries of the United Kingdom, a dove representing the

, a Tudor-style crown, and a pattern based on the Cosmati Pavement in Westminster Abbey.

References

External links

Royal Collection Trust:
King George IV's Coronation Stole (1821)King Edward VII's Coronation Stole (1902)King George V's Coronation Stole or Armill (1911)King George VI's Coronation Stole (1937)Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Stole (1953)
{{Coronation of the British monarch, state=collapsed Monarchy of the United Kingdom Ceremonial clothing English clothing Regalia