With just a number of days to go before King Charles’ coronation, security plans for the event are tightening up.
The Crown Jewels are the principal centerpiece for the crowning on May 6 and the gems are reportedly being heavily guarded to forestall a movie-like heist.
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 can be utilized in the religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey and was moved from their principal home on the Tower of London recently.
The streets of London can be crawling with 1000’s of police, with teams of armed guards, snipers and military personnel securing the premises.
Many undercover cops will even be sprinkled within the crowds throughout the monarch’s crowning.
“The operation is large, definitely in an analogous scale to that of the funeral of the Queen, the most important 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 “specializing in maximum security and maximum lockdown.”
The Met Police Gold Commander and MI5 are on the helm of the safety exercise.
The source then noted how Charles, 74, and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, 75, have been rehearsing with replicas of the jewels to arrange for the large day.
One other sacred and precious item that can take center stage on the coronation is the Stone of Destiny.
The block left Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle for the primary time in over 25 years today and is on its method to London.
The stone is an ancient emblem of Scotland’s monarchy and has been used for hundreds of years 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 top of Charles when he’s ordained next month and several other other pieces of royal regalia can be utilized for the festivities.
Except for the gold coronet, other objects that can be present include the Imperial State Crown, Queen Mary’s crown, the coronation spoon, the ampulla, the sovereign’s orb and two scepters respectively featuring a dove and a cross.
St. Edward’s crown was last used for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. The Imperial State tiara can be donned by Charles when he leaves Westminster Abbey once the ceremony has concluded.
Queen Mary’s crown can be placed on Camilla’s head when she is coronated as queen.
The coronation spoon is required to anoint the brand new monarch with holy oil, while the ampulla will hold the consecrated liquid.
As for the orb — which can be placed in Charles’ right hand — it symbolizes the British monarch’s power, while the sovereign’s scepter with a cross represents the king’s temporal power and has been used at every crowning since 1661.
The scepter with the dove is an emblem of his spiritual role as a supreme ruler, in addition to being metaphorical of the Holy Spirit.
The Post has reached out to the royal family’s reps for comment.
