Buckingham Palace has recruited former Apple designer Jony Ive to create the logo for the coronation of King Charles III, depicting a crown formed from the national flowers of the United Kingdom's four nations.

Created by Ive and his design studio LoveFrom, the official emblem is set to feature across banners, bunting and merchandise during the coronation service at London's Westminster Abbey in May, as well as at street parties and community gatherings across the country.

The graphic was designed to symbolise the beginning of King Charles III's reign and his love of the natural world, according to Buckingham Palace. It unites the UK's four national flowers: the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland.

These four symbols are intertwined to form the shape of St Edward's Crown – a solid gold crown originally made in the 17th century for Charles II, with which the UK's new monarch will be crowned on 6 May.

"The emblem speaks to the happy optimism of spring and celebrates the beginning of this new Carolean era for the United Kingdom," Ive said.

"The gentle modesty of these natural forms combine to define an emblem that acknowledges both the joyful and profound importance of this occasion."

Despite its ornate motifs, the logo features a flat modern design, rendered in the colours of the Union Jack flag.

A simple serif typeface runs around its edges, spelling the monarch's name and the date of the coronation. One version of the emblem has been made in English and another in Welsh.

As chief designer at Apple, Ive was responsible for creating some of the brand's most recognisable products, including the original iPhone, iMac and iPod, before going on to found LoveFrom with his friend Marc Newson in 2019.

This isn't the first time that Ive has collaborated with the UK's new monarch. The designer was also responsible for creating the Terra Carta Seal for King Charles's Sustainable Markets Initiative, which uses similar natural iconography.

Previously, the duo also worked together to launch the Terra Carta Design Lab, a competition hoping to find solutions to the climate crisis, with aerodynamic seed pods and a methane-catching cow muzzle among the winners of its inaugural edition.