Queen Camilla will be carrying a very controversial prop at The Coronation of King Charles III next month – a scepter made of elephant ivory. This was among the details announced by Buckingham Palace on Monday and reported by The Associated Press, and it sticks out as one of the most baffling. The royal family has taken a hard stance against the ivory trade in recent years, and this would seem to negate all their hard work.
The coronation is less than a month away now, and the royal family revealed some details on Monday. We now know that Queen Camilla will wear Queen Mary’s crown at the big ceremony – a historic piece of gold passed down for generations. Presumably, the same is true of the ivory scepter she will carry. With so many traditions being skipped or at least minimized, it’s strange that this one will continue. Trading elephant ivory has been illegal in the U.K. for quite some time, but in recent years, the heir Prince William has taken an active personal role in campaigning to end it once and for all.
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The scepter is reportedly three feet long and was crafted for Mary of Modena in 1685. Notably, she was the daughter-in-law of King Charles II. This rod will be one of the oldest props in use at a coronation that is trying hard to be modern and reserved.
Restricting the ivory trade is a particularly modern idea that both Prince William and Prince Charles have professed a personal interest in. Both have advocated for the protection of endangered wildlife like elephants, including the end of trophy hunting. So far there have been no reports of objections behind the scenes or in-fighting in the royal family over this issue. A palace spokesperson said that it was inevitable for a monarchy this old to possess treasures from “a previous era.”
Other changes to the coronation will be much more practical. King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in a more modern horse-drawn coach and will take a 1.3-mile route rather than the 5-mile procession of his ancestors. Their ceremony will be shorter and less extravagant than others have been, and even their guest list is a fraction of the size of their predecessors. The coronation is scheduled for Saturday, May 6.
