It’s emerged that the Roman Catholic Church lent a set of vestments to the Archbishop of Canterbury and senior clergy for the Coronation of King Charles III.

The Daily Mail reports that in the run-up to the event at Westminster Abbey on May 6th Most Rev Justin Welby realised that the Church of England’s historic formal clergy robes weren't good enough for the occasion. It says it was decided the only solution was to approach the Catholic Church and borrow from the wardrobe at Westminster Cathedral. A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church told the Daily Mail they provided a set of ten vestments and ‘were happy to support the C of E on such a special day.'

A Lambeth Palace spokesman confirmed the garments had been loaned :

'Only two historic clergy vestments exist, both of which would have needed expensive refurbishment and adaptation. A decision was taken by the bishops involved that, in the current climate, it was not appropriate for the C of E to commission new vestments.

'Instead, it was decided that a matching set would be borrowed. To demonstrate the strong ecumenical links between the C of E and the Roman Catholic Church, the Archbishop wrote to Cardinal Vincent Nichols.'

The King’s Coronation was watched by 20 million people in Britain and millions more around the world. While Archbishop Welby led the service and crowned King Charles, he was joined by several senior bishops including the Bishops of London, Durham, Bath and Wells and Chelmsford.