King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned at their coronation ceremony on 6 May, which is expected to be a grand occasion.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,” the palace added.
It is understood that the King will opt for a more modern choice of clothing for the ceremony. Instead of the traditional silk stockings and breeches worn in coronations past, it has been reported that the monarch will be crowned in his military uniform.
Therefore, it is expected that Camilla’s coronation dress will also be more modern compared to previous versions, which tend to include ornate designs and lavish materials.
The last time Britain saw a coronation dress was during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s crowning ceremony in 1953.
She wore a silk satin gown with short sleeves and a full skirt, featuring elaborate embroidery and alternating lines of gold bugle beads, diamantes and pearls. It was designed by Norman Hartness, who merged two of eight designs he presented to the Queen to create her gown.
Here’s everything we know about what Camilla will wear to the coronation this spring...
Who will design the dress?
In February, it was revealed that Camilla had chosen her friend Bruce Oldfield to design her coronation dress.
The British couturier works frequently with the royal family to dress them and was the favourite designer of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
The design of the coronation gown has been decided in collaboration with Camilla, but will remain a secret until the day of the ceremony.
A source told The Telegraph: “Camilla has a very close friendship with Bruce spanning many years. In so many ways, it is the natural and obvious choice.
“Camilla trusts Bruce because he has really delivered on dresses for so many important occasions recently for her.”
The Queen Consort wore an all-white gown embellished with white beads and diamantes by Oldfield when she attended the 2016 State Opening of Parliament, during which she was still the Duchess of Cornwall.
She also wore an Oldfield design to the premiere of the 2021 James Bond film, No Time to Die, which was a blue sequinned gown.
Will Camilla wear a robe?
Traditionally, monarchs and their consorts have worn dramatic gowns for their coronation events.
The Coronation Robes are quite extravagant, usually made of silk, velvet and lace, and trimmed or lined with ermine.
The late Prince Philip wore a red velvet coronation robe during the Queen’s ceremony, which had an ermine trim and shrug over his shoulders.
But whether the King and Queen Consort will wear the traditional robes remains in question, as it has been suggested that Charles wishes for a more modern ceremony.
What crown will Camilla wear?
It was announced in February that the Queen Consort will wear Queen Mary’s crown for the coronation – but it will not feature the controversial Koh-i-noor crown nor its replica.
Buckingham Palace said that Camilla will be the first consort to reuse a crown at a coronation instead of commissioning a new one since the 18th century. The last consort who did the same was Queen Caroline, the consort of King George II.
The Crown Jeweller is carrying out “minor changes and additions” to the crown, which will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds. These were part of the late Queen’s personal jewellery collection.
You can learn why the Koh-i-noor diamond is so controversial here.
What jewellery will Camilla wear?
Camilla will likely wear a ceremonial ring, known as the Queen Consort’s ring, to symbolise being “wedded” to the people.
Charles will have a special ring placed on his fourth finger to symbolise this as well. The Queen Consort’s ring was made in 1831 for Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV.
It was last used for the Queen Mother’s coronation with her husband, King George VI, in 1937.
