King Charles Will Receive New Sword Named After Queen Elizabeth at Scotland Coronation Celebration

The new blade was made because the current sword of state was deemed too fragile to handle

King Charles’ second coronation celebration will include some new royal regalia.

On Friday, the government of Scotland announced that a new ceremonial sword of state will be presented to the King, 74, during the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on July 5. The blade was named after Queen Elizabeth and is being swapped into the Honours of Scotland because the existing sword in the historic suite (over 500 years old!) is too delicate to use.

“Designed by former Ormond Pursuivant of Arms Mark Dennis and worked on by a number of expert Scottish craftspeople, the sword features a pommel of Lewisian gneiss, and a scabbard wrought from Perthshire oak,” the government said in a statement. “It will be used on ceremonial occasions in place of the current sword, gifted to James IV by Pope Julius in 1507, which can no longer be used due to its fragile condition.”

The new “Elizabeth Sword” was commissioned at the end of last year and cost about $27,952 (£22,000) to produce. Next Wednesday, it will be carried in St Giles’ by Dame Katherine Grainger DBE — in a role reminiscent of Penny Mordaunt’s position at the May 6 coronation in London! 

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“It will be an incredible honour to carry the Elizabeth Sword on such a historic day for Scotland. I hope I can do the sword, and the occasion, justice,” Grainger said in a statement. “It promises to be a day of enormous celebration for the King and for the country and I feel immensely lucky to be able to play a part.”

The Honours of Scotland are Scotland's crown jewels, and the oldest crown jewels in all of Britain. The three-part suite is comprised of the Crown of Scotland, which was made for King James V of Scotland in the 16th century, a gold sceptre and King James IV’s sword of state.

While the original sword will be switched for the upcoming coronation celebration, the rest of the regalia will be used. The Scottish government also announced Friday that Lady Dorrian, The Lord Justice Clerk, will bear the sceptre, while the Duke of Hamilton carries the Crown of Scotland. 

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After King Charles is presented with the set at the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication next week, the Elizabeth Sword and the Honours of Scotland will be returned to Historic Environment Scotland (HES). Scotland’s glittering crown jewels are typically kept on display in the Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle, which is open to the public.

“The Honours of Scotland have immense historical significance, having been present at many major ceremonial events over the past five hundred years,” Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Scotland, said in the update. “Designed and crafted with care by some of Scotland’s finest artisans, the Elizabeth Sword is a fitting tribute to the late Queen as Scotland prepares to welcome the new King and Queen next week.”

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On July 5, the May coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla will be celebrated in Edinburgh with royal processions and a National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication. Seventy years ago, Scotland honored the crowning of a young Queen Elizabeth with the same royal ritual. With Prince Philip by her side, the 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth was also presented with the Honours of Scotland inside St. Giles’ before a crowd of 1,700.

“Today, you and I are Scotland, greeting with all that we have to offer of love and duty our gracious young Queen," the Moderator of the General Assembly said, The Herald reported. 

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