Chairs used at King Charles’ Coronation are up for auction – but who sat in them remains a mystery

Chairs used at King Charles’ coronation have been put up for auction by Christie’s.

In a bid to raise money for Emmaus UK, Safelives, The Prince’s Trust and The Prince’s Foundation, the famous auction house is selling six Coronation chairs in London, Paris and New York.

The deep royal chairs with velvet elements are expected to fetch between £2,000 and £4,000 per pair.

The coronation chairs were specially commissioned by King Charles (74) and Queen Camilla (76) and provided seating for members of the royal family and dignitaries during the special occasion.

However, bidders have no idea at all who owned the chair on that day.

The upcoming auction will take place from October 13 to November 3 to a global audience via The Collector.

Designed and made by Rugby-based furniture maker NEJ Stevenson in collaboration with The Snowdon School of Furniture, one hundred luxury chairs were made for the coronation.

The chairs feature soft blue velvet cushions and sustainably sourced British oak, while the upholstery of the chairs has been completed by the Royal Household Upholstery team in Frogmore.

The team aimed to follow the long tradition of chairs designed for every ceremony throughout the 20th century. Like Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation chairs, they feature a Royal Cypher against royal blue velvet.

Proceeds from the chairs will be divided equally between the four charities: Emmaus UK, Safelives, The Prince’s Trust and The Prince’s Foundation.

It comes shortly after three of Princess Diana’s dresses sold for £1.3 million at auction, shattering expected sale prices.

A red silk Bruce Oldfield dress worn by the princess at the 1991 film premiere of Hot Shots had an estimated minimum retail price of $200,000 (£160,450), but sold for $571,500 (£458,480) earlier this month.

A custom black velvet and ivory Catherine Walker dress she wore to a private event sold for $508,000 (£407,540) – more than eight times its lower estimate of $60,000 (£48,130).

Proceeds from the auction will be divided equally between four charities: Emmaus UK, Safelives, The Prince’s Trust and The Prince’s Foundation

The chairs (pictured at the coronation) are for sale – it is unknown who sat in the chairs

The black and jade dress by the same designer, which Diana wore to a gala in Canada in 1991, had a minimum estimate of $100,000 (£80,220), but also went for $571,500.

Julien’s Auctions, in Beverly Hills, California, sold the dresses as part of the Legends: Hollywood & Royalty auction.

Martin Nolan, executive director of the auction house, said: ‘Our record sales of these dresses have exceeded all expectations.’

The dresses were originally purchased by Ellen Petho, an American businesswoman who paid $150,000 for five of Princess Diana’s dresses at a Christie’s auction in New York in June 1997, with the money she had saved to buy a house.

The gowns had been donated by Princess Diana to raise money for charity, two months before her death.

Ms Petho, who died in January aged 82, also raised more than £1million for charity by exhibiting the dresses in the US.

Her daughter, Karrie, 60, told the Mail: ‘Our mother read the inscription in it (the auction catalogue) in which Prince William told his mother that the dresses should not be in her wardrobe; that they should go into the world and do good.

“I think that inspired her.”

Ms Petho’s widower, Louis, 83, sold the gowns on Friday to raise money for a bursary fund for adult art and design students.