On May 6, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were officially anointed the new monarchs of the U.K. in their long-awaited coronation. The event, which included celebrities like Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, and King Charles’ adorable grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, on the guest list, was the perfect example of all the glitz and glamour the British royal family has to offer.
As far as the ceremony goes, most of it stuck to Charles’ more modern takes on tradition with impressive robes, passionate choir songs, and the official crowning. Some other details, however, like the embroidered flourishes on both Camilla and Kate Middleton’s gowns, or the significance of Charles’ robe and coach, were not so obvious to everyone watching, whether in-person or at home.
So, in honor of these small yet important details, check out some details you might have missed from the coronation ceremony below!
Camilla’s Dress Details
For Camilla’s big moment, she chose a dress that not only was beautiful but had plenty of meaning, too. According to Hello!, the Queen’s ivory-colored dress had the name of her two children, Tom and Laura, embroidered on the bottom. Along with her children’s names were those of her grandchildren, Gus, Freddy, Louis, and Eliza.
In addition, the bottom of her dress also had Charles’ royal insignia and two dogs, which likely represent the couple’s adopted rescue terriers, Bluebell and Beth. Talk about a meaningful dress!
Sustainable Robes
When watching the coronation, viewers were amazed at the extravagance of the robes Charles wore. But, to their surprise, the robes are royal re-wears “in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” Buckingham Palace once explained.
Charles’ first robe was a purple velvet Robes of State worn by King George VI in 1937, per Insider. His second robe was a gold Imperial Mantle made for his great-granduncle, King George IV, in 1821. Lastly, Charles also wore a gold coat originally made for King George V in 1911, according to the palace. A sustainable King!
The Holy Oil
At one point in the ceremony, Charles was privately anointed with holy oil behind the anointing screen by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Though viewers didn’t see the moment, one important detail was that the oil was the first-ever that was animal-cruelty free. Instead of previously animal-cruelty ingredients, Charles’ oil consisted of essential oils, sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin, and orange blossom.
Wedding Memories
Among the many flowers around Westminster Abbey was lily of the valley and auriculas. These two types of flowers, per the royal palace, were added as an homage to Camilla’s wedding bouquet back in 2005.
Remembering Princess Diana & Queen Elizabeth
Kate Middleton remembered late family members for the celebration. In addition to wearing pearl and diamond earrings that belonged to Princess Diana, the royal also wore a necklace that belonged to Queen Elizabeth, per Daily Mail.
Kate’s Embroidered Dress
During the ceremony, Kate wore an elegant Alexander McQueen ivory gown. Throughout the dress, there was embroidery featuring rosed, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks, national flowers from the four nations of the U.K.
The Gold State Coach
The carriage that carried the new King and Queen to Buckingham Palace is called the Gold State Coach. The gold carriage has been used in every British royal coronation since 1831, per Insider.
The Waleses Were Fashionable Late
Though it didn’t seem like it when viewers watched on TV, it turns out Kate Middleton, Prince William, and their kids Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis arrived late for the big day. In fact, King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the venue before the four of them did and had to wait to be the last ones in. Cameras even captured Charles seemingly frustrated to have to wait in the coach for them to arrive, Harper’s Bazaar reported.
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