The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla was celebrated today at Westminster Abbey in London.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
The king arrived at Westminster Abbey in the bright red velvet surcoat worn by his grandfather, King George VI, at his coronation in 1937. The velvet has been conserved by the Royal School of Needlework, with lining and gold lace conserved by Savile Row tailors, Ede and Ravenscroft.
Over the surcoat, King Charles wore the Robe of State (also referred to as the Parliament Robe) with long, deep crimson velvet train adorned in Canadian ermine and gold lace. From shoulder to shoulder was the collar and badge of the Order of the Garter. In addition, he wore an embroidered white shirt, military uniform trousers and gleaming shoes with gold buckles.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
For the anointing, the robe and surcoat were removed and replaced with the Colobium Sindonis (“shroud tunic” in Latin) anointing gown – a simply cut, unembellished open tunic in white linen. Over this was added the Imperial mantle Supertunica, a long, Byzantine-inspired gold silk coat with Girdle belt.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
For the investiture and crowning, the Imperial Mantle Robe Royal was further added. This ornately embroidered gold robe is oldest robe in the royal collection, made for King George IV’s coronation in 1821. The robe is decorated with foliage, flowers, and crowns and joins at the front with a gold eagle clasp.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
King Charles was crowned with the St. Edward’s Crown. With a 22-carat gold frame that dates to 1661 , the St. Edward’s Crown is twelve inches tall and set with 444 precious and semi-precious gemstones including amethysts, aquamarines, garnets, peridots, rubies, sapphires, spinels, tourmalines, topazes, and zircons set in clusters surrounded by white enamel mounds shaped as acanthus leaves (and weighs a whopping five pounds!). The crown’s base is trimmed in ermine and made more comfortable with a velvet cap sewn inside. Today’s coronation is the only time the St. Edward’s Crown will be worn by the king.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
For the recessional, King Charles removed the gold Robe Royal and Supertunica along with the white linen Colobium Sindonis, replacing them with a purple and gold surcoat and the Robe of Estate of purple silk velvet and ermine with gold embroidery worn by King George VI at his 1937 coronation. This robe was also conserved and prepared by Ede and Ravescroft.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Additionally, the king swapped out his Garter badge for a more ornate one and donned the more familiar Imperial State Crown. Originally made by Rundell and Bridge in 1838 for the coronation of Queen Victoria, its design was based on earlier crowns dating back to the sixteenth century. Worn for occasions including the State Opening of Parliament, this crown is set with 2,868 diamonds and hundreds of pearls and other gemstones that give it serious sparkle.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
The uncut red spinel on the front, the Black Prince’s Ruby, has been part of the English royal gem collection since the 1360s and was allegedly worn by King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Below the spinel is the Cullinan II Diamond, a 317 carat stone cut from the great Cullinan Diamond and added to this crown in 1909. Read an excellent history of this crown here.
Queen Camilla’s coronation gown was made by Bruce Oldfield. Cut from creamy white peau de soie, a silk with a matte lustre finish, the fabric was woven by Stephen Walters in Suffolk, England. The dress features a v-neck, three quarter length sleeves and Oldfield’s signature paneling through the bodice, with a modest sweep train.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
The focus of the gown is its embroidery; it is entirely covered in a festival of delicate silver and gold embroidered wildflowers including “daisy chains, forget-me-nots, celandine and scarlet pimpernel, representing the King and Queen Consorts affection for nature and the British countryside,” read a statement from Buckingham Palace. The gown’s cuffs, hem and robe straps (brilliantly cut to resemble a bolero jacket) are covered in gold embroidered roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks, the flowers of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland that have featured on this coronation’s official emblem.
A deeply personal touch, the front of the skirt is embroidered in Camilla’s cypher, her dogs Bluebell and Beth, and the names of her two children and five grandchildren. Her shoes were made by British designer Elliot Zed and covered in the same silk as her gown.
For her arrival at Westminster Abbey, Queen Camilla wore the scarlet velvet Robe of State previously worn by Queen Elizabeth II.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Queen Camilla was crowned with Queen Mary’s Coronation Crown which recently underwent alternation in preparation for this event; four arches were removed and three of the Cullinan Diamonds were added.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Original version of Queen Mary’s Coronation Crown (l) compared to current version
Made in 1911, the crown includes more than two thousand diamonds atop a silver and gold frame.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
The renovation of Queen Mary’s Coronation Crown creates a lighter, more delicate consort’s crown that pairs perfectly with the Imperial State Crown. It’s a slightly modern, streamlined take on a traditional crown that seems an apt metaphor for the kind of monarch King Charles III has said he wishes to be.
All three crowns today- the St. Edward’s Crown, the Imperial State crown and Queen Mary’s Coronation crown – were fitted by Philip Treacy, whose team also made new velvet caps of maintenance, custom fit to their new wearers.
Queen Camilla’s diamond necklace, by Garrard, was the same one worn by Queen Elizabeth at her coronation in 1953.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
For the recessional, Queen Camilla wore her own new Robe of Estate. Made by Ede and Ravenscroft in rich purple silk velvet, it was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework based at Hampton Court Palace in west London, of which Camilla is patron. The design includes 24 different varieties of flowers and plants embroidered in gold thread including lily-of-the valley (a favorite flower of Queen Elizabeth II), lady’s mantle, myrtle, maidenhair fern, cornflowers and delphiniums, a favourite flower of the King and the flower for the month of July, the birth month of the Queen Consort. The national emblems of the rose, thistle and shamrock are included along with bees, butterflies, beetles and a caterpillar in keeping with the wildflower theme. The robe is simply magnificent.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
The king and queen returned to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, built in 1760 and used at every Coronation since that of William IV in 1831.
The coronation ceremony was filled with incredible music, thoughtful gestures, intentional acts of inclusion and diversity and an palpable sense of tradition and reverence. Do watch it when you have a moment.
Over the next days, we’ll look at all the hats and headpieces worn my royal family members and royal guests at this event.
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 