What about the coronation of Charles III. wear, the nobility is currently asking themselves. Instead of special coronation robes, the aristocracy was required to conform to the “simple ceremony”.
London – From today’s perspective, the coronation ceremony of the late Queen Elizabeth II (96, † 2022) 70 years ago, together with her purple velvet coats with ermine trimmings, looks incredibly pompous. In 1953, guests at the coronation ceremony were instructed to wear “every color but black,” with headgear that “must not obscure the face” and that should “reach to the shoulders but no lower than the waist.” Dresses should be made of lace, organza, tulle or chiffon and should not contain feathers. Decorative pins, ribbon bows, flowers or small decorative caps were permitted. For the crowning of King Charles III (74) things look quite different.
King Charles will go to the coronation in the so-called Supertunica
While the king loudly telegraph wearing the traditional gold silk supertunic and military insignia, plans for the other participants, including the nobles, to wear robes and coronet have been scaled back. Not only Charles will make a slimmed down appearance: the guests were also said to be asked to adapt to the “simple ceremony”. But don’t worry, in front of an international audience that needs to be enchanted, the coronation of King Charles and his wife Camilla (75) should still be a great styling spectacle.
A former member of the royal staff who is said to have been tasked with planning the ceremony told the Mail on Sunday: “There will be no tweed blazer or jeans, but there will be suits and uniforms.” Members of the House of Lords (Upper House of Parliament) usually attend the coronation in floor-length robes of red velvet and white ermine fur collars. At Charles’ coronation they should be a bit more reserved. We are talking about “standard business attire” or parliamentary ermines. However, it remains to be seen whether they will also find favor in the eyes of animal rights activists.
King Charles’ “heavy” coronation robe: super tunic and crown
For the coronation, King Charles receives a long, shimmering gold coat, the so-called supertunica. The robe was made in 1911 for George V (70, † 1936) and was worn at several coronations, including that of Queen Elizabeth II. It weighs an impressive two kilograms and is made of gold fabric – silk threads coated with thin gold or silver metal foils are. The fabric shows embroidered, stylized arabesques and floral motifs.
A floor-length coat, the so-called Imperial Mantle or Robe Royal, is worn over the Supertunica, which was made in 1821 for George IV (67, † 1830) and weighs three to four kilograms. The cloak, which fastens across the chest with a gold eagle clasp, is inspired by ancient coronation robes and is intended to symbolize the divine nature of royalty with its priest-like style. It is made of gold fabric and decorated with motifs such as fleur-de-lis, imperial eagles and national floral emblems of red and pink roses, blue thistles and green shamrocks.
In addition to the weight of the ceremonial robes, there is also the crown, which weighs around 2.23 kilograms
Hat in the morning, tiara in the evening?
At royal events, the heads of the blue-blooded ladies usually sparkle. But the new modesty of the monarchy will probably also be reflected on their heads. Due to the timing, significantly fewer family jewels are likely to be executed. King Charles III is to be crowned at noon in Westminster Abbey. At this time, according to royal etiquette, hats are still raised. Fascinators and hats go back into their boxes from 6 p.m. Because only in the evening the sparkling tiaras can be presented again – but only by married aristocrats.
So it will definitely only sparkle on Camilla’s head. She will wear the Crown of Queen Mary. It is the first time in almost three centuries that a new crown has not been commissioned for the coronation of a king’s wife, but the king’s wife wants to be sustainable. The dresses of the royal ladies could also be simpler, says author Lauren Kiehna (“The Court Jeweler”). She keeps it loud Peoplemagazine it’s possible that Charles is “following the example of some of his European counterparts – like the King of the Netherlands – and adopting a formal dress code for the day.” Then would Princess Kate and other ladies wear calf-length dresses instead of floor-length dresses. Sources used: dailymail.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, bbc.com, people.com, pagesix.com
