Mark Rawlings / Defence Imagery

Lord Peach has become an unexpected Twitter sensation following an announcement by Buckingham Palace that he is to carry the Sword Of Mercy at the Coronation of King Charles III.

The 67-year-old retired Air Chief Marshal is to carry the Sword during the Coronation procession on Saturday.

Following the news of the appointment, Lord Peach briefly trended on Twitter, with Royal Central’s tweet being seen by 1.3m people.

Lord Peach was elevated to the House Of Lords in 2022 following a distinguished 45-year career in the military where he served as Chief of Defence Staff and the Chair of the NATO Military Committee.

The Sword Of Mercy, also known as Curtana, is amongst three three swords that are used during the Coronation Procession.

Along with the Sword Of Temporal Justice and the Sword Of Spiritual Justice, the Sword Of Mercy will arrive in Westminster Abbey alongside other items of the Crown Jewels.

Curtana measures 96.5cm and has a blunted, squared tip which represents the Monarch’s mercy.

Historians are unable to agree on dating the sword, with some saying it could have belonged to Edward the Confessor back in the early 1000s.