Throne room

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The throne room at the Palace of Fontainebleau, France.

A throne room or throne hall is the room, often rather a hall, in the official residence of the crown, either a palace or a fortified castle, where the throne of a senior figure (usually a monarch) is set up with elaborate pomp—usually raised, often with steps, and under a canopy, both of which are part of the original notion of the Greek word thronos.

Function

A throne room is an impressive setting for a monarch to preside 'in majesty' over official ceremonies, to hold council, to grant audiences, to receive homage, to award high honors and offices, and to perform other official functions. Any of these could just as well be transferred, even on a permanent basis, to one or more other rooms, even outside the palace or ambulant. It can also be where the royal court can gather.

A common misconception is that kings and other ruling princes governed their lands seated on a throne for most of the working day. This may have been true in earlier times, for some rulers who actually presided over their council; yet often, another room was used, but only in peacetime.

Many others were almost constantly on the move with an ambulant court. It could even have been that the crown did not have an effective capital, as in

Habsburg dynasty when they also acquired extensive crown lands outside Germany and Austria
, and their court often travelled on an almost continental scale.

Other monarchies frequently changed their capital, but then they would have used a mobile throne, possibly in addition to the permanent one used for enthronement and/or coronation. There are cases in Africa and Asia where the very name of the 'capital' is not a fixed place, but was the place wherever a king settled for a few years. In some climates court migrated annually between a summer and a winter capital. It has also common to spend quite some time, without need for practical reason, in secondary residences, not in the least hunting lodges.

Even when their capitals were fixed, English and French

Henry VIII's most frequently used residence was, in fact, at Hampton Court, which was then outside London
.

Even when in the main or only palace, the monarch often spent much time in other parts of the residence, such as the dining hall, the chapel, private quarters (for rest and family life), possibly a separate presence room, the council chamber, ballroom, gardens, court, theatre, and other recreational facilities.

Nowadays, throne rooms are only used for occasional grand ceremonies. Paperwork is done in an office, and most guests are received in a salon.

Notable examples

The following are notable throne rooms. Others are listed in the article on thrones.

Austria

Hofburg

Once the seat of the

Hofburg Imperial Palace
's throne room now serves as a conference centre, used by the Austrian Congress and for other international events.

Canada

The chamber of the

Speech from the Throne, which can be seen as a form of royal audience for Parliament
, and thus the Senate chamber can be seen as a throne room in the royal presence.

China

The principal imperial throne of China, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony

In the Forbidden City, China's last imperial palace, the principal throne rooms are the three halls of the Outer Palace: the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, of which the Hall of Supreme Harmony was the most important.

Denmark

Rosenborg

Denmark's anointing throne

The throne in the throne room at

King Frederik III in about 1663, and used by the absolutist kings of Denmark from 1671 to 1840 for the anointing ceremony. It was probably created by Bendix Grodtschilling. It was inspired by King Solomon's throne which, according to the Bible, was made of ivory and had six steps with lion figures on each. Tooth of Narwhal was chosen as the material, both because it was found in Danish waters and owing to its mythical associations with the unicorn; twelve lions were also commissioned, three of which, in silver, have been preserved in the room.[1]

Christiansborg

The throne room actually used for receiving ambassadors is at

Christiansborg
.

.

France

Versailles

The throne was commissioned by

King Louis XIV and was in use until 1789. In 1837, the Château de Versailles became a national museum. As part of the greater Versailles museum, the room is open to the public. Compare: Lit de justice
.

Fontainebleau Palace

Preferring Fontainebleau over Versailles,

Napoléon III; it was later declared a national monument in 1871, after the collapse of the French Empire
.

Monaco: Prince's Palace,

For over 700 years, the

Princely Family
occur, before then having a religious ceremony elsewhere.

Germany

Thrones of the King and Queen, Residenz of Munich, Bavaria

Residence of Munich

The

Second World War. It is now reconstructed and again visitable; the (smaller) throne room was rebuilt in the classicism
style of the 19th century. Once, bronze figures of twelve rulers of the house of Wittelsbach stood there, between corinthic columns on a rostrum. These were the honourable monarchs of Bavaria for centuries.

Neuschwanstein

Note that the throne room of this beautiful, dream-like castle,

Neuschwanstein's
completion, therefore one was never installed.

Iolani Palace
throne room
The Senators' Chamber in the Warsaw Royal Castle, Poland

Hawaii

ʻIolani Palace

The throne room at

Queen Liliʻuokalani. Kalākaua and his wife actually disliked sitting on the thrones, instead preferring to stand in front of them while receiving guests.[2] King Kalākaua held formal audiences, diplomatic receptions, and state balls, receiving and entertaining guests from all walks of life, from royalty and diplomats to writers, entertainers, and sportsmen. Following her overthrow, the trial of Queen Liliʻuokalani also occurred in this room where she was found guilty and imprisoned within the palace by the Republic of Hawaii.[3]
The throne room, like the rest of the palace, is open to the public.

Portugal

Ajuda National Palace
Throne Room
Grand Throne room in Peterhof Palace

Ajuda Palace, Lisbon

The Portuguese Throne room (pt. Sala do Trono) is in the

Tabriz carpet from the 18th century in the precious wood floor. The ceiling is covered with Máximo dos Reis allegorical fresco and a huge crystal chandelier.[4]
The thrones are from Portuguese fabric, second half of the 18th century with the Portuguese coat of arms on the top handled by two angels. This fauteuils ware made to substitute the Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier’s throne made to John V of Portugal[5] and destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. This throne was in Silver-gilt, with winged dragons, the heraldic symbolf of the House of Braganza, and the arms of Portugal supported by two allegorical statues, Europe and America. The Throne room is still used for state events of the Portuguese Republic.

Russia

Peterhof

Used by the

Tsars of Russia, the dais and throne of the Peterhof Palace dominate the eastern wall with a large picture presenting Catherine II
on her horse. The room also holds numerous oil paintings and eleven chandeliers.

Winter Palace

Regarded as the throne of

two-headed eagle
).

.

Spain

Royal Palace of Madrid

Royal Palace of Madrid Throne Room decored in the reign of Charles III of Spain

The

La Granja
.

The

Zarzuela Palace
, on the outskirts of Madrid. However, the Royal Palace of Madrid remains the official residence of the Spanish monarchy and is used for state occasions.

Sweden

Stockholm Palace

The Silver Throne in the Hall of State.

The throne located in the

Queen Kristina in 1650. It was last used by the present king, Carl XVI Gustaf
, on his accession to the throne in 1973 and at the State Opening of Parliament in 1974.

Throne in the Lovisa Ulrika audience chamber at Stockholm Palace.

For the coronation of king

Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrica
in 1750 two coronation thrones were made. Both are placed at the Stockholm palace, and one is on display in the Lovisa Ulrica audience chamber.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom monarchs almost always had their own personal throne constructed. Until 1900, each throne was usually given or melted down at the end of the monarch's reign for the next throne. The thrones after 1900 were saved. The exact number of thrones in the United Kingdom is unknown, though there are at least more than five. The United Kingdom differs from other countries as it has instead of one or two thrones, numerous thrones, some of which are 800 years old. The “throne” used for the anointing and crowning of the monarch during the Coronation of the British Monarch is called the Chair of St. Edward, or St. Edward’s Chair. The Chair, which is centuries old, is usually on display at Westminster Abbey.

Buckingham Palace

The Throne Room of

proscenium arch supported by a pair of winged figures of 'victory' holding garlands above the two Chairs of Estate, which were originally made for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation
in 1953 and were refurbished for King Charles III and Queen Camilla for their coronation in 2023 and embroidered with the cyphers of the new King and Queen.

It is in the throne room that the sovereign, on special occasions, receives loyal addresses. Another use of the throne room has been for formal wedding photographs. The throne room is usually not used for ambassadors' arrival, which is usually in the ambassadors room of Buckingham Palace.

Apart from the Thrones in the room actually named Throne Room, there is also a pair of Thrones in the Buckingham Palace Ballroom, that is a larger multi-purpose hall within the palace. The ballroom is also used for investiture ceremonies in the UK's honours system.

There are also other thrones in the Throne Room. To the right of the sovereign's throne is Queen Victoria's throne and opposite that on the other side of the room is the throne chairs of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. There are also two further thrones in the room.

St James's Palace

Although Buckingham Palace has been the primary official residence of the British monarchs since 1837, St James's Palace remains the senior palace of the British monarchy.[6] St James's remains a busy working palace, and also retains an important ceremonial function: it still is the place where the Accession Council customarily meets to proclaim the new sovereign and to receive from them the required oath. This was last seen upon the accession of King Charles III.

St James's Throne Room is used for official occasions. For instance it is in this room that the lord mayor and councillors of the City of Westminster usually present an address of welcome to visiting heads of state on state visits.

While the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace has two thrones for the (except for the others) reigning king or queen and another for the monarch's consort, the Throne Room at St James's Palace contains only one throne, pertaining to the sovereign. As in the case of Buckingham Palace, the reigning monarchs throne is placed under a canopy.

The velvet cloth behind the throne is dominated by the coat of arms of the United Kingdom.

This room was more recently the setting for the

Catherine Middleton
, and in September 2022, the Accession Council met to proclaim Charles III as King of the United Kingdom.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

The Throne Room of the

Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, which has been the principal royal residence in Scotland since 1505, was originally the King's Guard Chamber, but has been used as the throne room since the visit of George IV in 1822. The present pair of thrones were made in 1911 for George V and Mary of Teck, and sit upon the dais beneath the Royal Arms of Scotland. Following the death of Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in September 2022, her coffin was transported to the palace, where it lay in repose in the Throne Room, before being taken in procession to St Giles' Cathedral.[7][8]

Palace of Westminster

Although the primary purpose and reputation of the

Speech from the Throne
, arguably making the Chamber something of a throne room.

Clerks and officers of the House of Lords bow to the throne when crossing the chamber.

The Palace of Westminster also has a second throne under a canopy in the Robing Room, a room of the palace that remains under the authority of the Crown (and not of either House of Parliament), under the direction of the Lord Great Chamberlain, and that is used by the monarch to robe and to unrobe before and after the State Opening of Parliament.

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle has a throne room known as the Garter Throne Room, where a chapter meeting of the Order of the Garter, including, if necessary, the investiture of any new Knights and Ladies, takes place once a year. The room accommodates two rows of chairs for all Knights and Ladies of the Garter, with the sovereign's Throne at the head. The current throne housed in the Garter Throne room is another personal throne of Queen Elizabeth II although sometimes the Indian Throne, a gift to Queen Victoria, is used.

Colloquial usage

In British English, "throne room" is also used as a euphemism for "lavatory".[citation needed]

Ireland

Dublin Castle

Throne Room in Dublin Castle, Ireland

Located in the State Apartments, the Throne Room in

George V in 1911. The Throne Room no longer has any role in modern-day State ceremonial. However Dublin Castle still plays an important role in this respect, serving as the location for the inauguration of the President of Ireland
every seven years. This takes place in the much larger and grander St. Patrick's Hall, the 18th century ballroom of the Viceregal Court, positioned almost adjacent to the Throne Room.

Malaysia

Istana Negara (National Palace) in Kuala Lumpur. This and the old palace both had throne rooms called the Balai Rong Seri (Royal Audience Hall), where several state ceremonies including the King's Installation
occur.

References

  1. ^ "Trone" (in Danish). Gyldendal. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  2. ^ "Throne Room". Iolani Palace. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  3. ^ 'Iolani Palace - The Palace Building, archived from the original on 6 August 2009, retrieved 11 February 2010
  4. ^ "Home". pnajuda.imc-ip.pt.
  5. ^ Designing the decor: French Drawings from the eighteenth century, Catalogue of the Exhibition, Gulbenkian Foundation, 2005, pp. 92–95
  6. ^ The Royal Residences > St James's Palace
  7. ^ "Queen's coffin arrives in Edinburgh". BBC News. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  8. ^ "St. Giles' Cathedral and its Royal history". Historic Environment Scotland. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.

External links