Platinum Jubilee Processional Cross Gifted to the Queen
It was with great honour and pride that Court Assistant and professional turner Joey Richardson turned and embellished the shaft for the Platinum Jubilee Processional Cross used in the Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving at St. Pauls Cathedral. This Processional Cross, a gift to Her Majesty The Queen, was presented by the Royal Warrant Holders Association to mark her historic Platinum Jubilee.
Joey selected the oak, from HM The Queen’s Estate Sandringham. After turning, the shaft was decorated using pyrography and hand painting to depict the four nations with the Tudor rose, daffodils, shamrocks and thistles.
Royal Warrant-holding companies have gifted a new Processional Cross to Her Majesty The Queen to mark the Platinum Jubilee.
The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Processional Cross will be used at religious services and State occasions, including at the Cenotaph, and will replace the current cross in the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace, London. It will be used during weekly services there and in other places of worship and on Royal visits around the UK and overseas. It is expected to be used at the National Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 3rd June during the Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend.
The cross has been made by Royal Warrant-holding company, Thomas Lyte, Goldsmiths and Silversmiths, from one of their designs chosen by Her Majesty. The silver-gilt cross is made of 2.8 kilograms of sterling silver and mounted on a staff of oak from the Sandringham Estate to stand at a height of 2.2 metres. The project took 340 craft hours, involving every aspect of silversmithing, many of these skills dating back to antiquity.
The central octagon features the Christogram IHS, Jesus Hominum Salvator (Saviour of Men), which is encircled by a ring bearing 70 lozenges, acknowledging the 70 years of Her Majesty’s reign. Inspired by Her Majesty’s Coronation Bouquet, the arms of the cross have been detailed with orchids and lilies-of-the-valley from England, stephanotis from Scotland, orchids from Wales, and carnations from Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
The cross’s wooden staff was turned by QEST Scholar Joey Richardson, who selected the oak and sketched the national floral emblems – Tudor rose, daffodil, shamrock and thistle – and applied the designs to the staff, with a pyrography wood burning tool and hand painting to bring the flora to life.
The Royal Warrant Holders Association (RWHA) launched an appeal amongst its 700-plus member companies to fund the construction of the cross, which also enabled almost a quarter of a million pounds to be raised for distribution to local charities across the UK through the RWHA’s Charity Fund in the Platinum Jubilee year and beyond.
Having been presented to Her Majesty The Queen at Windsor Castle on 20th May, the Platinum Jubilee Processional Cross was shown to members at the Association’s Annual Lunch at London’s Guildhall on 25th May. It now rests in the care of the Chapel Royal.
Mark Leishman, Executive Director of the RWHA, said:
“The Association was keen to ensure that its Platinum Jubilee gift to Her Majesty was practical and would be pressed into immediate service. The existing cross was in need of replacement and as an organisation with its roots in British craft, and one fortunate enough to number many highly skilled craftspeople among its members, the gift of a new cross was ideal. The whole project also embodies a strong element of charitable giving and thus, on behalf of our 745 member companies, we felt able to present it to Her Majesty with great pride and affection.”
Russell Tanguay, RWHA Director of Warrants & Communications
The Royal Warrant Holders Association
The Royal Warrant Holders Association is the membership body representing individuals and companies holding Royal Warrants of Appointment to HM The Queen, HRH The late Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales.
The Association was formed in 1840 to ensure the continued existence of the Royal Warrant and its unique status within business. Today it assists with the administration of both new and existing Warrants, and advises members on all Royal Warrant matters including the correct use of the Royal Arms in connection with their businesses. The Association is not part of the Royal Household, but belongs to its Warrant-holding members.
The Royal Warrant Holders Charity Fund was established in 1897 and formalised in 1902 to support the charitable activities of Royal Warrant holders. The Fund donates mainly up to £2,000 to small, local charities in which Warrant-holding companies or their employees are actively involved, and from time to time, larger sums for specific charitable initiatives. The donation could be for specific items, activities or projects.
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST)
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust supports the training and education of talented and aspiring craftspeople through traditional college courses, vocational training, apprenticeships and one-to-one training with a master craftsperson; helping to support Britain’s cultural heritage and sustain vital skills in traditional and contemporary crafts.
QEST was founded by the Royal Warrant Holders Association in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Association and the 90th birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. HRH The Prince of Wales is the charity’s Patron. Over the last 30 years QEST has awarded more than £5 million to 650 individuals working across the UK in 130 different craft disciplines.
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