The Commemorative Crown first used at the funeral of Elisabeth Farnese, Queen consort of King Philip V in 1766. The crown, made of silver gilt and which has no gems, displays the seals of the founding kingdoms of Castile and León, with a turret and lion respectively. It was made by order of King Charles III in Madrid and replaces insignia lost in the Great Fire of Christmas Eve 1734 which destroyed the old royal palace in Madrid .
A sceptre, a present from Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, to King Philip II and made in Vienna in the 16th century.
A silver crucifix, from the collection of the Congress of Deputies.
The last time the crown was seen in public was at the state funeral at the arrival of the remains and the burial of King Alfonso XIII in 1981 in the royal vault at El Escorial.
The crown is held by the Patrimonio Nacional.
King Alfonso XIII reads the Speech from the Throne at the opening of the Cortes, accompanied by Queen Victoria Eugenie, Queen María Cristina the Queen Mother and his aunt the Infanta Isabel. The crown can be seen to the King's right on a table on the edge of the dais.
"The whole thing was very low-key, really. I turned up early, and was saying a prayer at Our Lady of Pew when I was joined by a man in a purple tie. He asked for assistance in a small matter, and I recognized John Broadhurst (hard to know how to title him right now). We chatted for a minute, and he parted with the line 'Nellie the elephant has packed her trunk and is getting out of the circus!'. He seemed in very cheerful humour."
"Only the three active flying bishops were received, all modestly and humbly in ties, together with some members of some of their families, plus the three sisters from Walsingham. ... They were then confirmed - some in accord with tradition took confirmation names; one of the former bishops took Benedict, another Joseph, others used their baptismal names - and they returned to their places to gentle applause. One of the sisters, descending the steps grinned at the congregation and gave two thumbs up."
These comments were extracted from the above blog on 1st January 2011
From areluctantsinner.blogspot.com
"The 12.30pm Mass at Westminster Cathedral was packed this afternoon, though most of those in the congregation had no idea that they were about to witness history being made. It was during this Mass, with no prior warning or publicity, that three former Anglican bishops, three young nuns from the Anglican Shrine at Walsingham, and two others - the wives of two of the bishops - were received into full communion with the Catholic Church, and the See of Rome."
"Bishop Alan Hopes preached a sermon on Mary, the Theotokos, and how the Church overcame disunity and strife to proclaim her "the Mother of God". At the end of his homily, the Bishop referred to the Ordinariate and welcomed those who were about to be received into the Church. Bishop George Stack, also an auxiliary of Westminster, was present, too, and made a point - after Mass - of welcoming those who had just been received."
"The manner in which these former Anglicans were received today was both dignified and sacred - and I am glad that no fuss was made prior to the event. There is no need for the Church to seem "trimuphalist" or for the press to be informed of every detail surrounding the setting up of the Ordinariate. For now, these men and women are travelling a very personal journey - in time, though, it will become a matter of great public interest."
These comments were extracted from the above blog on 1st January 2011
will be on Thursday 13th January
will be in Westminster Cathedral
on Saturday 15th January at 10.30am
all are welcome to attend
