George VI seen clearly in his shirt and breeches only as the canopy is borne away by four Knights of the Garter. The Dean of Westminster, standing in front of King Edward's Chair, can also be seen holding up the Colobium Sindonis for the King to put on. George VI dons the Supertunica over the Colobium Sindonis. In the background, the Knights of the Garter are taking away the canopy.
Edited by westendwilly on February 15, 2013, 12:12 pm
Kings are anointed, after having been divested of their robes and surcoat, therefore leaving only shirt and breeches. The shirt can be undone to facilitate anointing of the breast. A Queen Regnant is likewise divested of the robes. In the case of 1953, the Hartnell dress was covered, both out of reverence for the Rite and simply to keep the oil from marking the dress, if it spilled. This covering, a pleated over-layer is called what it is: a simple linen shift. The canopy is traditionally held by four Knights of the Garter.
The shift is removed after the Anointing Rite is concluded and the first of the Coronation vestments to be put on is the Colobium Sindonis, which is descended from a Byzantine/Roman under-garment. As can be seen, it is not pleated and it is also sleeveless.
I read on here somewhere that the Mistress of the Robes forgot to remove The Queen's earrings before the Anointing in 1953. That isn't the case. Those worn are for pierced ears and also have screw down attachments at the back because the diamonds are so heavy. It would have been too fiddly to take them off and then try to get them back on a few minutes later before the Investiture.
On the subject of fiddly things, an amusing story from 1953. The Lord Great Chamberlain assisted the Mistress of the Robes in divesting The Queen before the Anointing. It was his job to fasten the hooks and eyes right down the back of the linen shift. He was so clumsy that the Duke of Norfolk had them changed for pantomime-size buttons and loops. He still couldn't manage it, so the Mistress of the Robes had to do it herself.
As seen in the painting of Queen Alexandra, a Queen Consort is anointed kneeling before the Altar. No change of garments takes place before or after, so the Archbishop simply has to be careful with the oil. Whereas the Sovereign is anointed on the crown of the head, the breast and the palms of the hands, a Queen Consort is anointed only on the crown of the head. More on this some other time. The canopy is traditionally held by four duchesses.
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