Ancient graffiti found on King's Coronation chair
The chair was made around 1300 for King Edward I
The coronation chair is revealing secrets about its lavish construction 700 years after it was made, after the discovery of new decoration details.
Westminster Abbey's paintings conservator, Krista Blessley, believes she has found a previously overlooked part of a figure during work to clean and preserve gilding on the famous chair that Charles will be seated in when crowned King.
She described her pride at helping to conserve an historic object central to the life of the nation: "It's a real privilege to work on the coronation chair.
"It's so important to our country's history and in the history of the monarchy, and it's really unique as a conservator to work on something that's part of a working collection and still used for the original function it was made for."
Henry VIII, Charles I, Queen Victoria and the late Queen Elizabeth were all crowned in the historic chair which bears the scars of centuries of misuse, famously covered in graffiti carved by schoolboys but areas of gilding showing elaborate birds and foliage have survived.
Ms Blessley said about her findings: "I think they are previously undiscovered toes in the punch-work gilding on the back of the chair.
"So there are areas of drapery where you can tell there would have been a figure. It might be they are figures of kings or it might be a figure of a saint, because so much is lost we can't really tell at the moment but I'll do some further investigation."
The chair was made around 1300 for King Edward I to house the famous Stone of Scone and was constructed from oak, decorated with coloured glass, gilded with gold leaf and painted by Master Walter, the King's Master Painter.
Experts debate about when the chair was first used to crown a monarch, it had featured in coronation ceremonies since 1308 but the first confirmed use was to crown Henry IV in 1399.
Over the centuries 38 coronation ceremonies for reigning monarchs have been staged at Westminster Abbey with a few notable exceptions like Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936 before his coronation.
Much of the graffiti on the inside of the chair's back rest was carved by Westminster schoolboys and visitors to Westminster Abbey, during the 18th and 19th centuries, who left their initials or names.
One tourist carved "P. Abbott slept in this chair 5-6 July 1800" on the seat.
Slithers of wood were also cut off as souvenirs and during a 1914 bomb attack, thought to be the work of the suffragettes, a small corner was knocked off.
In 2010 there was a major project to stabilise all of the gilding on the coronation chair and clean it and there are now checks every six months.
In preparation for the coronation Ms Blessley has spent the past four months meticulously preserving the flaking gilding and cleaning the chair's surface using sponges and cotton swabs.
She said: "It has a very complex layered structure, which means it's very prone to the gilding on it flaking.
"So a large part of what I've been doing is sticking that gilding down to make sure it's secure, and then I will surface clean it and that will improve the appearance a little bit."
The paintings conservator added it was affected by the environment: "If there's little changes in humidity, the wood moves, and that complex layer structure moves - new areas will lift. I might consolidate something this month, then in two months I might need to consolidate it again."
On the back of the chair was a painted king, either Edward the Confessor or Edward I, his feet resting on a lion.
The four gilt lions that form the base were made in 1727 to replace the originals, which were not added until the early 16th century.
Ms Blessley commented on the importance of the punchwork decoration to the gilding - intricate tiny dots used to make patterns, saying: "The punchwork is unparalleled really in quality of surviving English art of this time, we have so little that has survived.
"To have something like this is amazing."
King Charles: A life in pictures
King Charles is born (1948)
Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor was born to then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip on November 14th, 1948, as the couple's first child.
King Charles in 1952
When his grandfather George VI died and his mother ascended to the throne in 1952, Charles became the future heir of the monarchy at the age of four.
He also became the Duke of Cornwall. When he was 21, in 1969, he became entitled to the full income of the Duchy and took over its management.
Charles' childhood
Growing up, Charles went to a boarding school for his education, studying at Gordonstoun private school in the north-east of Scotland.
Charles' experience at the school helped to shape him, saying in an interview that he was glad to have attended.
King Charles at university
After finishing his A-Levels, Charles broke with royal tradition and went straight to university, where he obtained a 2:2 in a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cambridge in 1970. This made Charles the first British heir to attain a university degree.
Investiture of the Prince of Wales
In 1969, the Investiture of the Prince of Wales took place at Caernarfon Castle, where Charles was crowned by the Queen as the Prince of Wales.
King Charles in the Navy
King Charles served in the Navy between 1971 to 1976. He trained as a Royal Air Force pilot and served on the frigate HMS Jupiter as part of its Pacific voyage.
King Charles and Diana (1981)
In 1981, Prince Charles married Diana Spencer in the most-watched television event at the time. Over 1 billion people looked on as the Prince and Princess of Wales made their wedding vows.
The marriage birthed Charles' only children - William and Harry, but would end in tragedy as the couple would divorce in 1992. Princess Diana would later die in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Prince William's first day at Eton College
The King and Princess of Wales and brother Prince Harry join Prince William for his first day at Eton College in September 1995.
Assassination attempt
Following his divorce from Diana, Charles continued to carry out royal duties. Whilst on a tour of Australia in 1994, King Charles was shot at twice by student David Kang.
David Kang was protesting about the treatment of Cambodian asylum seekers in Australia. Charles was not hurt and managed to dodge the bullet.
King Charles and Camilla
King Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, 13 years after his divorce from Diana. Because this was Charles' second marriage, he was unable to get married in a church and instead held a civil wedding. Charles' parents did not attend the ceremony, due to the Queen's role as head of the Church of England. Following their marriage, Camilla would go on to receive the title of 'Duchess of Cornwall'.
Media presence
Prince Charles has kept his life relatively private following his marriage to Camilla. The Prince rarely spoke to newspapers and occasionally appeared on television, in order to maintain his privacy.
However, Charles has tried his hand at a number of positions, including presenting the weather for BBC Scotland while on a trip to Glasgow in 2012.
Charity work
Over 40 years Prince Charles has set up 20 charities, he has been a keen supporter of charity work, setting up the Prince's Trust in 1976 to help vulnerable people get their life back on track.
Since then, Charles has been a vocal supporter of human rights, calling for more action against abuse worldwide. Most recently, the Prince commissioned a series of portraits of seven Holocaust survivors in early 2022.
King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort
Following the sad death of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles immediately became King Charles III on 8th September.
In the days following his mother's death, he met members of the public with his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort.
On 10th September, an historic meeting at St James' Palace confirmed his role of King.
King Charles III delivers his first address to parliament
King Charles said he felt "the weight of history" as he addressed parliament for the first time as King, adding he vowed to follow the example set by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.