by Nick McKelvie

The recent coronation of King Charles III has brought new attention to English coronation traditions, including the use of a “coronation roll” to document the details of the accession. The National Archives of the United Kingdom recently announced an exhibit, for example, titled “Happy & Glorious: Coronation Commissions from the Government Art Collection,” which displays the earliest coronation roll still in existence (produced for Edward II in 1308) paired with the recent coronation roll created for King Charles III.¹ Edward II’s roll is only two feet long, whereas Charles III’s is twenty-one meters; more scandalously, while Charles III’s features Queen Camilla quite prominently, Edward II’s makes no mention of Queen Isabella, although it does reference Piers Gaveston, 1^st Earl of Cornwall, who was rumored to be the king’s lover.