Official invitation of King Charles’ Coronation revealed
The invitation for the Coronation of The King and Queen Consort has been revealed.
Buckingham Palace released the long anticipated card which will be sent out to 2,000 guests for the Westminister Abbey event on May 6.
The verified Twitter account @RoyalFamily have shared the intricate design and explained the symbolism behind it.
“Designed by Andrew Jamieson, the invitation features the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign,” the tweet read.
The card is a hand-painted watercolour and gouache illustration and will be printed and issued on recycled card, likely representing the King’s lifelong devotion to sustainability.
"The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla,” The invitation reads. "By command of the King the Earl Marshal is directed to invite [name] to be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster on the 6th day of May 2023.”
A further look shows two birds on the letter C, bordered by Charles and Camilla’s coat of arms. The Queen Consort’s crest has been updated also, reflecting her status as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter, courtiers said.
The floral border is thought to reflect a British wildflower meadow with lily of the valley, cornflowers, dog roses, wild strawberries and bluebells, including a sprig of rosemary to symbolise remembrance.
The flowers are grouped in bunches of three to reflect that Charles is the third King of his name. The card incorporates a butterfly and a bee, small drawings of a lion, unicorn and a boar from the royal couple’s coats of arms.
The invitation is reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth’s crowning ceremony in 1953, which Charles attended at the age of 4; receiving his own colourful invite showcasing trumpeting Grenadier Guards and the lion and unicorn of the royal coat of arms.
Although a visually stunning card, some have pointed out that Camilla is referred to as the Queen rather than the Queen consort, causing a stir online.
“It also misses the word consort. #NotMyQueen," one user wrote.
"Uh...QUEEN? Uh... not." another said.
"Camilla will never be seen as Queen, no matter how many crowns you put on her head. She is only the Queen Consort as the late REAL Queen decreed." a third added.
It is not yet known if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be in attendance.
Image credit: Twitter