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Your Essential Guide to Coronation

Unravelling the Mystique of Monarchy

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A Virtual Summit

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Ticket Price: $23.99

Following the launch of the summit on 15 April 2023, all the videos are now live. When you purchase a ticket, you will receive links to the videos via email by return. You can then watch the videos at any time, and as often as you like, up until 31 May 2023.

WHILE CHECKOUT PRICES ARE SHOWN IN US $, YOU CAN PAY BY YOUR CARD IN YOUR LOCAL CURRENCY. IT WILL BE CONVERTED AT CHECKOUT. FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN £STERLING THE TICKET PRICE EQUATES TO AROUND £19.50

I am delighted to announce the Tudor Travel Guide’s 'Essential Guide to Coronation: Unravelling the Mystique of Monarchy', which celebrates one of the most significant royal ceremonies: coronation!

With the upcoming coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on May 6, this summit gives you the background on the bling, the pomp and the ceremony of such a monumental occasion.

The focus will be on the history of coronation from Tudor times to today, exploring how that ceremony has evolved over time. Steering us through centuries of coronation history, Tracy Borman, who has recently authored, 'Crown and Sceptre', has agreed to be our lead guide.

Rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry, a coronation is a symbolic formality marking the formal investiture of a monarch. We'll go behind the scenes to unpack the history and significance of the buildings, gowns, jewels and regalia associated with such an event so that when 6 May arrives, you will be 'coronation ready' to impress your family and friends with your insider knowledge!

You will learn about:

The Buildings of Coronation: We will discover the history of the buildings that have featured in coronation festivities over the centuries and explore the significance of spaces used during the coronation ceremony.
The History of Coronation: Coronation ceremonies are steeped in centuries-old traditions. We will learn how these traditions have evolved, from Tudor times to the present day.
The Dress of Coronation: We will learn about the tradition of coronation robes. From inside The Royal School of Needlework, our expert guides will tell us about how these exquisite robes are imbued with symbolism and how they were commissioned and made during Tudor times.
The Regalia of Coronation: From the crown to the orb and sceptre, from the ampulla to the golden spurs, each of these objects is suffused with meaning. We will explore this metaphoric language, learn about the tragic fate of the medieval Crown Jewels and talk about the stories behind some of the most famous - and controversial - jewels you are likely to see on display at the coronation on 6 May.

Learn from World-Leading Experts

As our guides for this mini-virtual summit, we are lucky to have a number of world-leading experts on hand to navigate us through the glittering and spectacular history of coronation ceremonies. Read on to find out more details...

Please note: All videos are pre-recorded. You will be able to watch any of the videos at ANY time and as often as you would like UNTIL 31 May 2023.

Here is our agenda for this online, virtual event:

Summit Videos

Tracy Borman: The History of Coronation. Steering us through centuries of coronation history, Tracy Borman is an expert in royal history. Her book, Crown and Sceptre, released last year, charts the evolution of the Crown and the story of the 41 kings and queens who wore it. Tracy will share her enormous wealth of knowledge as she guides us through the rituals surrounding the coronation.

Jonathan Foyle: The Buildings of Coronation. Jonathan will dig deep into the history of the spectacular buildings associated with the coronation, notably Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall. Transformed into the theatre of coronation, Jonathan will explain how some of the key spaces in the Abbey will be used during this glittering ceremony.

Eleri Lynn and Anne Butcher: The Dress of Coronation. Eleri is an expert on historic court fashion, having published her book Tudor Fashion last year. Former curator of 'Collections' at Hampton Court Palace. Anne Butcher is the 'Head of Studio' at The Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace. Together, these ladies will explore the glamorous history of coronation robes, the different elements of the dress we will likely see during the coronation, and their symbolic significance.

Nicola Tallis: The Regalia of Coronation. Finally, Nicola Tallis, historian and author of the recently released book, All the Queen's Jewels, will explore the history and significance of the different items of coronation regalia. An expert in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the history of jewellery, Nicola will talk us through the different objects associated with the coronation regalia.

Entertainment:

Rebecca Monet and Ashley Risk: Enjoy a new illustrated presentation of Anne Boleyn's coronation procession as we follow the summer queen from Greenwich Palace to Westminster Abbey for her coronation 1 June 1533.

Introducing Your Speakers!

Our speakers are all world experts in their field...

Tracy Borman

Tracy is Chief Curator for Historic Royal Palaces. She often appears on television and radio. In 2021, Tracy was made an Honorary Professor at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. She is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

She has written several celebrated books on the udors including, The Private Lives of the Tudors, Henry VII and the Men Who Made Him and Thomas Cromwell: The Hidden Story of the King's Most Faithful Servant. Her latest book, Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II focuses on the evolution of the monarchy.

Jonathan Foyle

Dr Jonathan Foyle is an expert of historic buildings. From an immersive career in conservation, research and curating, he is fortunate to have found ways to share many discoveries and insights into our ancestors’ experiences. He is an award-winning BBC broadcaster, writes regularly for the Financial Times Weekend, presents multi-media interpretations at fascinating historic sites, and has explained the wonders of the historic environment to audiences from America to Australia.

Jonathan is author of two well-received monographs on Canterbury and Lincoln Cathedrals. As Director of the consultancy Built Heritage Ltd, he helps to bring old buildings to life.

Eleri Lynn

Eleri Lynn is the former Curator of the dress collection at Historic Royal Palaces and is now Head of Exhibitions and International Touring at National Museum Wales. She has curated a number of major fashion exhibitions, most recently Diana: Her Fashion Story at Kensington Palace.

She is the author of Tudor Fashion (Yale University Press, 2017: winner of the 2019 Historians of British Art Award for exemplary scholarship pre-1600), and Tudor Textiles (Yale University Press, 2020).

Eleri also authored Fashion in Detail: Underwear (V&A, 2010) and devised and curated the major international touring exhibition, Undressed: 350 Years of Underwear in Fashion (2014-5) focusing on how underwear engineers and manipulates the body.

Nicola Tallis

Nicola Tallis achieved a first-class bachelor’s degree with honours in history from Bath Spa University. She also has an MA in Public History from Royal Holloway College, University of London.

She has written for a number of history magazines, including BBC History Magazine, History Revealed and Explore and has also made numerous television and radio appearances.

Nicola has been passionate about English history all of her life, and has worked as a curator, lecturer and historical researcher. She is currently the resident historian for Alison Weir Tours.

Her fifth book, based on her doctorate and titled All the Queen’s Jewels, 1445-1548: Power, Majesty and Display published last year.

Your Summit Host:
Dr Sarah Morris

Hi! My name is Sarah. I am the Founder and CEO of The Tudor Travel Guide. This means I split my time between travelling around and visiting places, and researching and writing content for my membership site: The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Tudor England, which I hope to develop over time to become the most comprehensive resource for learning about and discovering Tudor locations in the UK.

My mission is to help you immerse yourself in the sixteenth century by weaving stories of people and events into the places in which they unfolded. After witnessing the historical events that unfolded around the death and burial of Elizabeth II, and the many questions I got asked, I decided it might be fun - and valuable - to put together a mini-summit on 'coronation'.

Hence, I am delighted to bring you this summit, which looks back at centuries-old traditions to understand the significance of such an incredible royal ceremony, weaving buildings and artefacts with the stories of English Kings and Queens from across the centuries.

Alongside committing to deliver thoroughly researched, factual content, the one other magical ingredient that I think brings us as close to time travel as humanly possible is my belief that…

It is only time, and not space, which separates us from the past.

So, grab a cuppa and a large slice of cake (my favourite way to enjoy history, BTW) and let's get 'coronation ready'!

And Finally...For Your Entertainment!

An Illustrated Presentation of Anne Boleyn's Coronation:
From Greenwich to Westminster Abbey by Rebecca Money and Ashley Risk...

'The Mystique of Monarchy Now Belongs to Anne Boleyn'

Rebecca Monet

Rebecca Monet is an artist and writer. She trained as an illustrator and while initially creating private mural commissions, her current focus is on historical illustration with Anne Boleyn as her passion. She is also studying the work of Hans Holbein the Younger.

She is the author and illustrator of the 'Queen Anne Boleyn Paper Doll' book which, despite its playful title, serves as a richly researched and decoratively illustrated biography endorsed by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and noted by Alison Weir to “afford hours of pleasure” for those who love Anne Boleyn.

You can connect with Rebecca on Instagram: @rebeccamonet2

Ashley Risk

Ashley Risk is an artist with a fascination for history and, particularly, sixteenth century England. She runs a large Tudor history Facebook group called Anne Boleyn Obsessed.

Ashley digitally recreates famous portraits and sketches from the Tudor era in a semi-photo realistic manner and shares these eye-catching images on her Instagram account, FakeTudorHistory.

She has recently published an article entitled Pandemic Sleuthing to Re-identify a Tudor Queen, which argues that a portrait miniature misidentified as Catherine Howard for centuries, is in fact Anne of Cleves.

You can connect with Ashley via Instagram: @faketudorhistory

What Can You Expect...

Stepping into the past through the use of imagery and sound, Rebecca Monet and Ashley Risk invite you to visualize Anne Boleyn's coronation. Beginning at the steps of Greenwich Palace on 29 May,1533, you will travel with Anne and her festive flotilla to the Tower of London where both she and Henry spent two days celebrating. Here, you will watch Henry induct both Knights of the Bath and Knights Bachelor until Anne's departure on 31 May when you will travel with her along an expanded and well-fêted coronation route to Westminster Abbey.

The next day, 1 June, Whitsunday, you will watch Anne set her feet upon the blue ray cloth which will guide her into the Abbey. It is here that--as Eric Ives and the title of our presentation suggests--you will actually see and understand why The Mystique of Monarchy Now Belongs to Anne Boleyn.

What People Have said

about Previous Virtual summits

The 500 Years of Anne Boleyn Virtual Summit

'The summit was absolutely incredible...It was almost as if we were back in 1535/36. I really did feel emotional.

Thank you for your hard work in getting these amazing people together. I am so looking forward to whatever else you have planned in the future.'

Sonia S

The Field of Cloth of Gold: 500 Virtual Summit

I can say I really know a lot about this event now! It was so enthralling and by the time I got to your final video last night, I was so happy! My husband even commented as he watched me glued to the video how excited and happy I looked.'

Stacy B- GAinsville, VA

The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey Virtual Summit

'First of all, let me thank you most sincerely for a wonderful Virtual Summit on Cardinal Wolsey!

Thank you for enriching my life with my favourite aspect of English History, the glorious Tudors!'

Colleen C- South Africa

Your Summit Host:Dr Sarah Morris