More than 400,000 people received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, and the rules for getting one were drawn more widely than for most royal honors. Choristers and ceremonial staff qualified. So did paramedics and prison officers.
The medal marked the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on 6 May 2023. In Britain, the list of recipients covered four groups: people who took an active part in the coronation events at Westminster Abbey and the processions, living holders of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, serving members of the armed forces, and frontline emergency personnel. Publicly employed prison service staff were added to that list. For the last three groups the test was five full calendar years of service on 6 May 2023, and the emergency category took in paid, retained and voluntary staff alike. Armed forces members who simply took part in coronation events during 2023 were also eligible.
The medal was announced on 5 May 2023, the day before the ceremony.
Beyond Britain
The British medal went to some people outside Britain. Several Australians received it as a personal gift from the King, a decision made at Buckingham Palace; the Australian government had indicated it had “no objection.” The 60 Australian Defence Force members who took part in the coronation procession were among them. New Zealanders were eligible too, but they need their prime minister’s approval to wear it, because it counts there as a foreign honour. New Zealand did not strike a medal of its own, citing the cost and difficulty of running such a programme.
Canada did. Its medal was the country’s first domestic commemorative medal for a coronation, made by the Royal Canadian Mint. The 30,000 recipients included 4,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces and 1,000 Public Service employees, with a further 1,300 allocated to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Anyone who had made a significant contribution to Canada, or a province, territory or community, could qualify, as long as they were alive on 6 May 2023. Citizenship was not required.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the programme on 3 May 2023, but little news followed for the rest of that year. The medal was finally unveiled on 6 May 2024, the first anniversary, when Governor General Mary Simon presented the first medals to lieutenant governors and territorial commissioners in a virtual ceremony. The Monarchist League of Canada blamed the delay on a dispute between the King and his Canadian Cabinet over whether Camilla should appear on the medal, plus the resignation of the official who manages the programme. Queen’s University later listed 18 researchers and faculty members among the recipients.
Small differences
Both versions are nickel silver and share a ribbon, though the designs differ. The British medal shows the King and Queen in left profile. The Canadian one shows the King alone, facing right.
Scotland’s government first said it would not help pay for the British medal. In October 2023 it changed course, agreeing to fund it for all eligible Scots at an estimated £200,000.
Sources
- King Charles III Coronation Medal – Wikipedia
- Queen's researchers awarded King Charles III Coronation Medals | Queen's Gazette
Sources
- King Charles III Coronation Medal – Wikipedia
- The King's Coronation Medals for… | Government House Guernsey
