The Jewelled Sword of Offering was carried and presented to the monarch by a woman for the first time at the coronation of King Charles.
The sword was blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and presented to the King by Lord President of the Council Penny Mordaunt.
It had been carried into the Westminster Abbey by Petty Officer Amy Taylor, who became the first woman to undertake the duty of carrying the sword into the Abbey after being selected to represent service men and women as a tribute to the King’s military career.
The sword was placed in the King’s right hand, then clipped onto his girdle and eventually unclipped.
The King then stepped forward and offered the sword to the Dean, who placed it on the altar.
The sword was then “redeemed” by Ms Mordaunt, who placed the redemption money on an alms dish, held by the Dean, before drawing the sword and carrying it in its naked form, without its scabbard.
Penny Mordaunt is a British politician. She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Conservative Party since 2010.
Mordaunt has held various positions in the UK government, including Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health, and Minister of State for Armed Forces.
She also served as the Secretary of State for International Development from 2017 to 2019. She stood in the leadership campaign in a bid to be named the Prime Minister.
In her role as Lord President of the Privy Council, MP Penny Mordaunt played a significant role at the coronation, carrying the Sword of State in the procession through Westminster Abbey.
Traditionally, the Lord President wears black and gold court dress, but Mordaunt – the first woman to perform this function at a coronation – chose a more modern ensemble in teal green.
In an interview with Politico, she said she “felt it wasn’t right” to wear the customary dress – last worn by the Marquess of Salisbury at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
The MP for Portsmouth North wanted “to come up with something that is modern and will give a firm nod to the heritage” of the occasion.
Mordaunt revealed she commissioned the midi-length cape dress, which is embroidered around the collar with the fern motif of the privy council.
Her matching headband-style hat also featured the same motif, stitched by specialist atelier Hand and Lock, the company responsible for embroidering military uniforms for the coronation.
To carry the 4ft sword, Mordaunt chose flat shoes decorated with bow details and wore a pair of pearl earrings.
Positioned close to the King during the ceremony, Mordaunt got a lot of attention on social media – for both her outfit and her strength in holding the sword, which reportedly weighs 8lbs, aloft for so long.
“Penny Mordaunt’s shoulder power is impressive,” tweeted BBC presenter Dan Walker, later adding: “Get her in the Olympics.”
Comedian Dom Joly wrote: “Who had ‘Penny Mordaunt overshadowing everything’ on their bingo card?”
Her outfit also drew comparisons by spectators on social media to Anne Boleyn, Game Of Thrones and Star Trek.
