Watch as Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle invites Charles and Camilla to use the special Coronation bed

It is the perfect place for King Charles to rest his head the night before he is crowned – a sumptuous bed in the Houses of Parliament just a stone’s throw from Westminster Abbey.

And as befits royal tradition going back centuries, the monarch has been formally invited by the Commons Speaker to take advantage of it.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle has written to King Charles to offer the use of the historic State Bed, which sits in the imposing Speaker’s House at the Place of Westminster.

‘It’s here just in case King Charles III would like to stay overnight,’ Sir Lindsay told The Mail’s new Royals section.

The Speaker’s Office is staying respectfully tight-lipped on whether the King and Queen have replied to his offer of the State Bed on the eve of the Coronation

‘I’ve sent a letter to His Majesty, saying “Your bed is ready, Your Bedroom is prepared.’

He made clear that – of course – the offer extended to Camilla, the Queen Consort.

As Sir Lindsay explained, the bed – which lies in the ornate State Bedroom in his official Commons residence – is made available for the new monarch on the very eve of the Coronation.

The custom began in medieval times when the Palace of Westminster was just that – a working palace lived in and used the by the sovereign of the day.

But the Speaker also suggested that the custom partly derives from a time when some past monarchs ‘were not as popular as others’ and preferred to spend the night there as it was ‘the nearest point to being crowned at Westminster Abbey’

Aside from convenience, this would have meant the monarch could avoid unwelcome interruptions that a longer journey to the Abbey might bring.

Historical tradition or not, however, it is a long time since any sovereign actually took up the Speaker’s kind offer of lodgings for the night.

George IV in 1821 was the last to do so and that was a different bed.

The bed – which lies in the State Bedroom in the Speaker’s official Commons residence – is made available for the new monarch the night before he or she is crowned

The custom began in medieval times when the Palace of Westminster was a working palace  and used the by the sovereign of the day

This was because the old Palace of Westminster spectacularly burnt down in 1834 and its replacement – the Gothic Revival masterpiece now famous around the world – was not ready for the accession of Queen Victoria.

This current State Bed, designed by Augustus Pugin and carved from walnut by John Braund, dates from 1859.

Measuring 12 feet high and 7ft 6ins wide, it boasts an intricate canopy, gilt inlay and features the royal crest.

The bed was not even available for the coronation of late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 as it had gone missing after being moved into safe storage during the Second World War – and was then sold!

Only an appeal by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1979 led to the rediscovery of the national treasure.

For such an imposing State Bed, there was also a surprising confession from its then owners.

Ron and Wendy Martin, who acquired it for less than £100 at an auction in the 1950s, admitted that they had slept in it for 20 years in their Northamptonshire manor house. 

Ron and Wendy Martin, who acquired the bed at an auction in the 1950s, said they had slept in it for 20 years – and that their son Benedict was born in it

And that their son Benedict was born in it.

Now safely restored to its rightful place in the State Apartments of Speaker’s House, the bed awaits its one proper, historic purpose – to give the King a restful, peaceful night before his big day… should he and Camilla so desire.

That said, the Speaker’s Office is staying respectfully tight-lipped on whether the King and Queen Consort had yet replied to the kind invitation.

• Members of the public can see the State Bed for themselves this Summer. Tickets for tours of the Speaker’s State Apartments go on sale Thursday, May 4.