Tower of London Debuts Coronation Benches — Decorated by English Schoolchildren!

Students painted the benches with their hopes and wishes for King Charles' reign

The historic Tower of London has debuted a charming new installation in honor of King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation this weekend.

Brand-new coronation benches — high-backed wooden benches that seat two — have been decorated by schoolchildren across the country with hopeful messages as part of a contest sponsored by the Historic Royal Places charity. More than 1,500 schools across the United Kingdom submitted benches for consideration, with 15 schools in total winning the opportunity to have their work put on display at the Tower of London.

"Take a seat," a photo shared on the Instagram account for Historic Royal Places was captioned, adding a starry-eyed, smiley-face emoji. "Our coronation benches have been installed at the Tower of London! Designed by schoolchildren across the country, the benches illustrate their hopes for the future during the reign of HM King Charles III."

The caption concluded with an appropriate crown emoji.

Once the coronation is over, the benches will be returned to the schools "as a lasting legacy of the Coronation," according to Historic Royal Places.

One bench featured a tree surrounded by wildlife, like blue birds and smiling pink caterpillars, with books "growing" in its branches. The books were labeled "faith," "hope" and "peace."

Another bench was painted with an eye on artistic endeavors, with "Be Creative" written on the bottom, and artwork that included piano keys, an artist's palette, music notes, and a computer mouse. Above the word "Skills," the students had written "Help build futures and improve mental health," as well as "Value creativity."

One was painted with a royal-appropriate purple silhouette of King Charles in a crown. It was adorned with diverse illustrations of the people of the U.K.

A bench featuring a crowned lion — which appears on the monarch's coat of arms and was included on the invitation to the coronation — watching over the city was also installed in a prominent place on the grounds.

Winners included schools in cities in Commonwealth countries, like Belfast in Ireland and Glasgow in Scotland, as well as English schools in Liverpool, Cardiff — and London's own Broomfield School.

The benches have been placed on the outside grounds at the Tower of London, which is where King Charles' coronation crown was previously on display with other Crown Jewels before leaving its exhibit in preparation of the May 6 coronation ceremony.

In addition, the winning bench in Northern Ireland was displayed at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

Guards at the 1,000-year-old castle were observed appreciating the new benches — and even took a break to rest their feet on the new additions to London's historic attraction.

In addition to the benches, the guards — known as Yeoman Warders or more popularly, Beefeaters — had something of a makeover as well in advance of the ceremony, donning new uniforms bearing the King's royal cypher for the first time.

"The wait is over, today our Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London will wear their new uniforms for the very first time, bearing HM King Charles III's cypher!" the Historic Royal Palaces charity wrote on Instagram, along with three photos of the warders' new look.

The monogram that now lies at the center of the uniform shows the crown above the King's first initial, "C," intertwined with an "R" for Rex (Latin for King, traditionally used for the monarch dating back to the 12th century), with "III" inside the "R."

The account also shared a video from London's ancient castle, showing the guards admiring the historic significance of their new uniform.

"Today is a monumental day in our history, because for 70 plus years now, people have been seeing E II R on this uniform," Clive Towell, a Yeoman Serjeant, said in reference to the previous cypher of Queen Elizabeth. "However, today, two weeks before the coronation, 70 plus years on, it will say, for the first day, 'C III R,' Charles the third King. And so for us, this is huge. Emotional day, but a really good day as we step into this new reign."

"We can actually stand proud today when thousands come through the gate, and we'll just look down and say, 'Job done. Ready to go,'" added Peter McGoran MVO, who is cited as a Chief Yeoman Warder.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

The design of the cypher was chosen personally by Charles out of several created by heraldry experts at The College of Arms in London. It first appeared on post leaving Buckingham Palace in the fourth week of the monarch's reign in October, shortly after the end of official royal mourning for the Queen — who died "peacefully" aged 96 on September 8.

During her historic reign, Queen Elizabeth bore an "ERII" insignia. When used by Queens, the "R" stands for "Regina," or "Queen" in Latin.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.