As we celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, a new book about the history of the Royal School of Needlework details the story behind the embroidery of the Queen’s Coronation Robe of Estate…
Just as it’s the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year, the Royal School of Needlework is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2022. Since its inception, the RSN has played an important part in helping the UK to celebrate royal occasions, creating exquisite embroidery for ceremonial garments and outfits, and Her Majesty’s Coronation was no exception. Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework, Dr Susan Kay-Williams, here describes how the RSN managed to create embroidery for a coronation robe that would be truly fit for a queen…
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
In 1952 Mrs Hamilton-King [the RSN’s Principal at the time] was contacted about the RSN making the coronation Robe of Estate, and chairs for Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent. Fewer items than previous coronations, as several items would be reused: the altar dorsal made by the RSN in 1911 for the coronation of George V and Queen Mary and the canopy from 1937 made by the RSN for George VI and Queen Elizabeth among them.
Principal of these was the Robe of Estate and the RSN was asked to develop three designs from which the Queen chose. The theme for the coronation was peace and prosperity during her reign and on the selected design this was depicted by an intertwining decoration called Olives and Wheatsheafs (although from time to time the press got this confused and the plants were referred to as laurel and corn ears). Some of the longer standing newspapers expected this work to go to the RSN and as usual were full of speculation before the event. ‘Whenever there is a royal occasion calling for ceremonial robes the name of the Royal School of Needlework is certain to figure,’ noted the Nottingham Journal.
The embroidery could only happen once the cloth had been woven. This took a comparatively long time for Warner’s, [Warner & Sons was a British textile manufacturer specialising in silk for the furnishing industry] working with the silk from Lullingstone Castle produced by Lady Zoe Hart Dyke.
The press announced that the Queen had chosen the design by mid-November, but it was February before the velvet cloth arrived at the RSN. Contrary to popular opinion, only 12 women worked on the robe, one of whom was Miss Ruby Essam who worked the crown
