Crowned

A defining moment

We stand at the threshold of a new era, the beginning of the reign of His Majesty King Charles III. At the centre of this transition was his Coronation held in Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023, a defining moment for the new King and for British national identity. Coronations have taken place, exclusively, in Westminster Abbey since 1066 in a ceremony which has evolved over the course of 1,000 years.

A Coronation is also a time for public celebration, symbolising the transition from one reign to the next. The vast majority of people in Britain today will never have lived through this period of change which will be seen more widely in the gradual alteration of everyday objects and language. From a new portrait on coins and stamps, to new words in the National Anthem, a change of reign is deeply woven into the fabric of our society today and, at the same time, marks a turning point in the history of the United Kingdom.

Click on the collections below to explore how a change of reign affects the work of the Royal Mint.