The Royal Family Unveils the Official Emblem for King Charles’s Coronation (and Its Hidden Meanings)

The royal family could challenge Taylor Swift with its love of hidden symbols. From the late Queen Elizabeth's brooches to Kate Middleton's subtle nods to Princess Diana, there's often more history than you might expect in what the royals wear, say and do. So it should come as no surprise that when Buckingham Palace unveiled the official emblem for King Charles's (74) coronation, there were a number of subtle meanings within the design.

The emblem was shared to the official royal family Instagram account late last night, Feb. 10. “The new Coronation emblem has been unveiled!” the caption read. “The emblem will feature throughout the historic events in May, including street parties, community gatherings and on official merchandise.”

At first glance, the graphic may simply look like a pretty, floral design (in the Union Jack colors, of course): The center features a blue crown surrounded by red-colored flowers and the image is circled by text that reads, “King Charles III • Coronation • 6th May 2023.” However, the caption indicates that this insignia is more than meets the eye.

“The design features the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland, paying tribute to The King’s love of the natural world,” the caption notes. “Together, the flowers create the shape of St Edward’s Crown, with which His Majesty will be crowned in May.”

Sir Jony Ive and the LoveFrom collective designed the symbol, and reflecting on it, Sir Jony said in a statement, “[It] speaks to the happy optimism of spring and celebrates the beginning of this new Carolean era for the United Kingdom.”

Wow, we're not sure if we would've been able to spot all of that!

King Charles's coronation will take place on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey, where the ceremony will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

As far as the rest of the weekend's schedule of events, Sunday, May 7, will feature a special concert courtesy of the BBC (but the performers have yet to be announced). That same day, Big Lunches will take place across the U.K. Then, on Monday, May 8, there will be the Big Help Out, which is an event uniting people with volunteer efforts across the Commonwealth.

Sounds like this coronation is likely to be an event that we'll never forget!

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