A special court established (on an ad hoc basis) after the accession of a new monarch (king or queen) to determine the validity of the claims of persons to perform certain historic or ceremonial services at the coronation.

Last used in the United Kingdom for the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the form of which largely followed that of her father, King George VI, in 1937. According to Bob Morris, “Inaugurating A New Reign: Planning For Accession And Coronation“, (UCL, 2018), paras 3.12 – 3.13:

“3.12 As an adjunct to the planning of the coronation, by immemorial custom the Court of Claims, presided over by the Lord Chancellor and consisting of the most senior English and Scottish judges, invited and adjudicated upon claims for the right to perform customary services at the coronation. Claims could include the customary right to carry a standard or perform some personal service to the sovereign such as delivering part of the regalia.

3.13 The Court is a hybrid body both executive and judicial in the sense of being simultaneously an emanation of the Privy Council and an august judicial body. In 1952 the Court’s operations were helped by the fact that relatively little time had elapsed from the previous coronation. As a result, the Court did not normally require fresh – and expensively mounted – claims to be repeated where there had been no doubt in 1936/7 about whether the claim should be allowed. The fact that the then Lord Chancellor chaired the proceedings reflected the post’s then Cabinet seniority and judicial weight. The subsequent decline in the office which has no judicial pretensions calls into question whether the present office of Minister of Justice/Lord Chancellor should continue to chair the Court if, that is, it is desired to preserve that Court’s high ceremonial character. Indeed, it is not at all clear what the traditional Court brings to proceedings which, apart from their solemnity and expense, have no modern substance that could not be dealt with administratively.”

In 2023 it was announced that, for the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6 May, there would instead be established a Coronation Claims Office. According to the announcement,

“When looking at claims, the Coronation Claims Office will consider matters including whether the role or service was performed in 1953 or not, what the basis is for it to be performed now and the claimant’s connection to those who previously performed the role or service. Officials from the Coronation Claims Office will consult with ecclesiastical experts from Lambeth Palace and ceremonial experts from the Royal Household when considering claims.”