With just a few days to go before King Charles’ coronation, security plans for the event are tightening up.
The Crown Jewels are the main centerpiece for the crowning on May 6 and the gems are reportedly being heavily guarded to prevent a cinematic-like heist.
Advertisement
The highly-classified affair has been given the moniker Operation Tower of London, a source told the Mirror on Friday.
The priceless collection of jewels will be used in the religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey and was moved from their main home at the Tower of London recently.
The streets of London will be crawling with thousands of police, with teams of armed guards, snipers and military personnel securing the premises.
Many undercover cops will also be sprinkled in the crowds during the monarch’s crowning.
Advertisement
“The operation is huge, certainly in a similar scale to that of the funeral of the Queen, the largest event in a generation,” an insider told the publication.
“Every available arm of the police and security services has been dispatched,” they said, adding that the operation is “focusing on maximum security and maximum lockdown.”
The Met Police Gold Commander and MI5 are at the helm of the security exercise.
Advertisement
The source then noted how Charles, 74, and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, 75, have been rehearsing with replicas of the jewels to practice with before the big day.
Another sacred and precious item that will take center stage at the coronation is the Stone of Destiny.
The block left Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle for the first time in over 25 years today and made its way to London.
Advertisement
The stone is an ancient emblem of Scotland’s monarchy and has been used for centuries to enthrone its sovereigns.
King Edward I of England took the monolith from the Scottish people in 1296 and it was then returned to the country in 1996 by former Prime Minister John Major.
St. Edward’s crown will formally grace the head of Charles when he is ordained next month and several other royal regalia will be utilized for the festivities.
Aside from the gold coronet, other objects that will be present include the Imperial State crown, Queen Mary’s crown, the coronation spoon, the ampulla, the sovereign’s orb, the scepter with a dove and the scepter with a cross.
St. Edward’s crown was last used for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 and the Imperial State tiara will be donned by Charles when he leaves Westminster Abbey once the ceremony has concluded.
Advertisement
Queen Mary’s crown will be placed on Camilla’s head when she is coronated as queen.
The coronation spoon is needed to anoint the new monarch with holy oil, while the ampulla will hold the consecrated liquid.
As for the orb — which symbolizes the emperor’s power — it will be settled in Charles’ right hand, while the sovereign’s scepter with a cross represents the king’s temporal power and has been used at every crowning since 1661.
Advertisement
The scepter with the dove is a symbol of his spiritual role as a supreme ruler, as well as being metaphorical of the Holy Spirit.
The Post has reached out to the royal family’s reps for comment.