Lambeth Palace Library Exhibition To Mark King’s Coronation

Lambeth Palace Library is celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III through an exhibition showcasing religious items that have been used in Royal Coronation ceremonies going back to the Middle Ages.

The exhibition, “A declaration of our hopes for the future’: Coronations from the middle ages to the present day“, will be the latest Church of England exhibition to celebrate the King’s coronation. York Minster currently has an exhibition showcasing Royal treasures from the cathedral’s historic collection.

The Lambeth Palace Library exhibition will be open to the public from 12 April to 13 July. It will show material from the Lambeth Palace Library collections relating to previous coronations, from the coronation of Henry I in 1100 to Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.

Highlights include the Coronation Charter of Henry I, the manuscript of the Coronation service prepared for William III and Mary II; Archbishop Wake’s notes for the Coronation of George II; a letter from George VI thanking Archbishop Lang for his part in the coronation ceremony; and the Bible upon which Elizabeth II swore her Coronation oath.

This free exhibition will run from 12 April to 13 July 2023 at Lambeth Palace Library. There will also be a display of artifacts until 14 June associated with previous Coronations, including the cope and mitre worn by Archbishop Fisher in 1953, and the large banners from the 1902 coronation from which Archbishop Frederick Temple had to read the service because of his failing eyesight.