Twelve chairs made for the King’s Coronation will be sold by Christie’s in the autumn, but their royal occupants will remain a mystery.

The auction house announced that it would open browsing in October for the six pairs of historic chairs which were used to seat members of the Royal family as well as dignitaries in Westminster Abbey on May 6 2023.

It is understood that their specific occupants will be kept under wraps, however, to keep the pricing of the chairs at a similar level.

The sale will raise funds for four charities.

The King and Queen appointed the proceeds of the sale to be donated to SafeLives, The Prince’s Trust, The Prince’s Foundation and Emmaus UK, a homelessness charity.

Historically, it is understood that coronation chairs have been privately sold to recoup some of the money spent on the crowning of the monarch.

Attendees of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 were given the opportunity to buy their chairs afterwards as part of a royal tradition – and a pair marked as 376 and 420 recently became some of the first to come up for auction.

In 2012, Christie’s sold a pair of Elizabeth II limed-oak coronation chairs, made by W Hands & Sons and marked 467 and 468, for £7,500.

Older chairs made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 have in the past sold for £2,000 to £3,000.

The sustainably made oak chairs used for the King’s ceremony in May will be offered in London, New York and Paris on consecutive days as part of Christie’s international online platform for decorative arts, The Collector.

The sale will open for bidding online from Oct 13 and close on Nov 3.

‘Market will decide final price’

Royal fans will be able to see the navy blue chairs bearing the King and Queen’s cyphers in person in London as part of an exhibition from Oct 24 to 30 2023.

They are expected to achieve a sale price of £2,000 to £4,000 in London; $3,000-5,000 in New York; and €2,000-4,000 in Paris.

A Christie’s spokesman told The Telegraph: “The market will decide the final price when the winning bid is placed on each pair, 

“We expect global interest. This is a very exciting opportunity for people around the world.”

The chairs were designed and created by the Rugby-based cabinetmaker NEJ Stevenson, in collaboration with The Snowdon School of Furniture.

A hundred coronation chairs were made using sustainably sourced British oak. After The Collector sale, Christie’s will offer additional chairs from the ceremony through a private sale that will also benefit the same charities.