King Charles III’s wife Camilla, so far known as Queen Consort, has made her debut as Queen Camilla as Buckingham Palace unveiled the royal invitations for their Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6, featuring a floral and leafy pattern to be printed on recycled paper.
The invitations mark the first time that 75-year-old Camilla has been referenced as the Queen, indicating that her title of Queen Consort will eventually give way to the shorter prefix.
Royal insiders indicated that this was in line with tradition for the partner of a monarch to be referred to as Queen and that Queen Consort had been used in the aftermath of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II to smooth that transition.
Charles and Camilla will be formally crowned King and Queen next month, with an invitation to the grand ceremony likely to also be extended to President Droupadi Murmu, as one of the Commonwealth Heads of State speculated to be on the guest list for the Coronation.
The White House has already confirmed that First Lady Jill Biden would be representing President Joe Biden at the ceremony.
“The original artwork for the invitation was hand-painted in watercolour and gouache, and the design, which recalls the Coronation Emblem, will be reproduced and printed on recycled card, with gold foil detailing,” Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday.
“Central to the design is the motif of the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign. The shape of the Green Man crowned in natural foliage is formed of leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom,” the palace statement said.
The invitation for the ceremony next month to formally crown the 74-year-old Charles as monarch has been designed by heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson. He is a Brother of the Art Workers’ Guild, of which King Charles is an Honorary Member.
The British wildflower meadow bordering the invitation design features lily of the valley, cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, bluebells, and a sprig of rosemary for remembrance, together with wildlife including a bee, a butterfly, a ladybird, a wren and a robin.
Flowers appear in groupings of three, signifying the King becoming the third British monarch of his name.
A lion, a unicorn and a boar – taken from the coats of arms of the new King and Queen – can be seen amongst the flowers. Queen Camilla’s coat of arms is now enclosed by the Garter, following her installation as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter last summer, the palace said.
A new photograph of the King and Queen taken by Hugo Burnand last month in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace was also released alongside to mark the occasion.
The palace also revealed that nine-year-old Prince George, second in line to the British throne after his father Prince William, will have a starring role in the grand ceremony at the Abbey as one of his grandfather's four Pages of Honour.
According to the details unveiled for the Coronation Service on May 6, the royals will each be attended by four Pages of Honour – aged between nine and 13 – who will form part of the procession through the Nave of Westminster Abbey.
The King’s Pages of Honour will be his grandson, His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales, as well as other close relatives and family friends – Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Master Nicholas Barclay and Master Ralph Tollemache.
The Queen’s Pages of Honour will be her grandsons, Master Gus and Master Louis Lopes and Master Freddy Parker Bowles, and her great-nephew, Master Arthur Elliot.
The Coronation will be marked by a series of grand events over a celebratory long weekend in the UK between May 6 and 8, including much pomp and pageantry and street parties.
Buckingham Palace expects tens of thousands of people to visit the UK capital to experience the "unique and historic occasion", with millions more watching from home, across the UK and around the globe.
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