A Queen of Tears, vol. 1 of 2: Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway and Princess of Great Britain and IrelandWilkins, W. H. (William Henry)
History
A Queen of Tears, vol. 1 of 2: Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway and Princess of Great Britain and Ireland
Wilkins, W. H. (William Henry)
Caroline Mathilde, Queen, consort of Christian VII, King of Denmark, 1751-1775
The Queen, likewise attired in her anointing robes, to wit: "A robe of
cloth of gold, and a royal mantle of red velvet lined with ermine and
embroidered with gold crowns," and with the crown upon her head, passed
into her audience chamber, her train upborne by Madame de Plessen and
the Countess St. Germains. Here she held a court, and received the
homage of the assembled ladies.
[Illustration: THE CHRISTIANSBORG PALACE, COPENHAGEN.
_From an Old Print, temp. 1768._]
The procession to the chapel of the Christiansborg was then marshalled,
and as the bells rang out it passed down the marble stairs of the
palace and across the quadrangle to the chapel. The King walked under a
red velvet canopy, upborne by four privy councillors and four Knights
of the Elephant. The Queen walked beneath a similar canopy, upborne by
four privy councillors and four Knights of the Dannebrog.
The royal chapel was decorated with great splendour. Of this, as of
the other arrangements connected with the coronation, it was recorded:
"There was nothing lacking to make it beautiful. It was so splendid and
superb that even the foreign envoys were forced to admire the beauty
and lavish expenditure, to say nothing of the art in which these were
turned to account." The thrones of the King and Queen were placed upon
a dais, under a gorgeous canopy, upborne by two figures of angels with
drawn swords. On one side of the canopy was the King's motto, "_Gloria
ex amore patriae_," and on the other were the initials of the King
and Queen. The King's throne was of solid ivory, surmounted by a huge
amethyst nearly as large as a hen's egg. The Queen's throne was of
silver, elaborately wrought, and polished until it shone like crystal.
At the foot of the thrones lay three life-size lions in cast silver.
At the entrance to the royal chapel the King and Queen were received
by the three Bishops, who were to officiate at the ceremony of the
anointing, vested in copes of gold brocade. The Bishops first
conducted the King to his throne while the choir sang an anthem. They
then returned and led the Queen to her throne in like manner. Bishop
Harboe of Zealand preached a sermon, and then the ceremony of anointing
took place; the coronation was considered as already performed. First
the King was anointed with the holy oil, and then the Queen. The
service concluded with a _Te Deum_.
As the royal procession returned to the palace, a salute from the
ramparts was fired, and the heralds on the gate blew a loud blast on
their silver trumpets. The King and Queen received the congratulations
of their court, and then the coronation banquet took place. During
the banquet a chorale was sung by the choir, of which a verse may be
roughly translated as follows:--
And long shall it be before the sons of the North weep,
For while Christian lives, and Matilda,
There shall be nothing but joy,
And every man shall dwell in his tent in peace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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