In full swing, preparations are underway for the official coronation of Britain’s King Charles III next Saturday, and while Buckingham Palace revealed the numbers of guests and uninvited countries, tailors are racing against time to prepare the red and gold outfit that will appear in the coronation ceremony.
And Buckingham Palace said – yesterday, Monday – that more than 2,200 guests will witness the coronation ceremony of King Charles, including representatives from 203 countries, as well as civil and charitable society.
Invitations were extended to heads of state with which Britain enjoys full diplomatic relations, in addition to representatives of regions and lands belonging to the British crown.
Among the guests at Westminster Abbey in the British capital, London, are Nobel laureates, clerics, heads of state and foreign ministers.
The statement added that 400 young people representing charitable organizations will have the opportunity to watch the coronation ceremonies and processions from inside the nearby St. Margaret’s Church.
In the same context, a British source said – today, Tuesday – that London did not invite Russia, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan and Venezuela to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles.
Invitations were extended to senior diplomats in place of the heads of state in both North Korea and Nicaragua.
Grandeur and pomp
Buckingham Palace continues to publish details about the coronation ceremony of King Charles, which is scheduled to be on a smaller scale than the coronation ceremony of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 1953, but it will be full of luxury and pomp that reflect the traditions of a family dating back a thousand years.
Charles, 74, will be crowned in London’s Westminster Abbey on May 6, in a grand ceremony in which he will wear – or hand over – a special ceremonial outfit decorated with religious and historical symbols.
Many of the objects that will be used in the ceremony, such as crowns and scepters, date back centuries, the palace said, adding that Charles will also wear some of the clothes that have appeared in coronation ceremonies since 1821 “for the sake of sustainability and quality”.
Among the pieces that will reappear is the coronation glove made for his grandfather, George VI.
“We have this wonderful, environmentally friendly king (who advocates) sustainability, reusing the thing, rather than owning a new glove,” said Deborah Moore, CEO of Dentis.
Charles will also wear his grandfather’s white linen gown and sword belt, once again eschewing the tradition of making a new one.
He will also wear other garments of his ancestors dating back a millennium, including a long-sleeved golden silk coat made at the coronation of King George V, great-grandfather of King Charles, and worn by subsequent monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth.
He also wears the imperial sash of gold cloth originally made for use at the coronation of King George IV in 1821.
Tailors Race
And on Savile Row Street (central London), which has long been famous for tailoring elegant formal clothes, tailors are racing to prepare the red and gold outfit – which will appear in Britain’s first coronation ceremony in 70 years – adorned with the new King Charles badge.
The sales rooms are swarming with customers who have come to get such formal costumes and suits that the guests will wear next Saturday at the coronation, in one of the most elaborate and festive occasions in the country.
Savile Row tailors have been making clothes for kings, queens and their children for more than 150 years. Their work receives special encouragement from an old client, King Charles, a country lover who championed farmers, weavers, and mills that produced lots of cloth.
“It’s a real honour,” said tailor Josie Walker. “We all work hard and there’s a lot to do.” “On this day, everything will look great. We will all be able to see our work and be proud of it. It is a historical event. Hence, people will watch this for years and years.”
