been one year since King Charles’ coronation as the United Kingdom’s monarch. The day was full of pomp and pageantry and appeared to go off without a hitch. However, one moment almost made King Charles lose it, and it all had to do with Princess Catherine and Prince William. Reportedly, the couple’s insistence on documenting the event caused a major snafu for the incoming monarch.
On arriving at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles, the prince and princess of wales could be seen exchanging words. The mum of three issued a concerned four-word warning to her husband before they started the long walk into the abbey. Cameras captured the moment when the couples lined up waiting for the procession to start. With Catherine turned to william and said, just mind the gown,a nd he believes the heir to the throne replied with reassurance saying, don’t worry, I got it. Thankfully, it appeared that there were no hiccups with the robes during the procession, or the rest of the coronation ceremony.
However, one mysterious detail on the outfit sent royal fans into a frenzy when the official coronation photos were finally released. Within her commentary, royal expert Danelia Elser commented the Wales came close to turning the entire carefully orchestrated day on its head. She believes this element of Charles’s coronation was largely overlooked at the time.
This came very close to truly buggering up the day. One possible reason for the snafu, William and Catherine wanted to do some Instagramming, she claims. Elser cites royal biographer Robert Hardman’s remark that Charles’ trip to Westminster Abbey and the Golden State coach moved too fast.
Therefore, both Charles and Camilla arrived too early. Although the congregation inside the Abbey don’t know it, there’s an awkward scene unfolding outside as the King and Queen remain in their coach. It’s an added layer of stress that the couples really do not want or need on a day like this.
The issue unfolding behind the scenes was that the couple was too far behind. The author writes, “…conflicting sources will suggest that the whales’ decision to make a coronation day video added precious seconds to their schedule and made them late.” William and Catherine were set to arrive eight minutes ahead of King Charles and his wife Camilla at Westminster Abbey. Then the couple and their children, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, were to enter the Abbey first, followed by Charles and Camilla.
However, because the couple reportedly chose to Instagram the day, they arrived precisely eight minutes later than the monarch. It is unusual for the two most important arrivals at such a significant event and over such a well-trodden route be so unpunctual, said Robert Hardman. Daniela Elser believes that they likely thought their participation in the day would elevate their brand. The couple and their children were featured in several self-promoting clips, and have racked up millions of views and likes on Instagram.
The result is some frantic rewriting of the running order. There isn’t time for the Wales and their two younger children to enter ahead of the King and Queen. They must now follow behind and bring up the rear. Looking back, many appeared just to assume that it was the running order of the coronation.
The consensus was that Prince William walked behind his father during the ceremony in a supportive move. According to Alastair Bruce, The princess wore an additional cape over the top of the dress in order to protect it from the heavy mantle and chains she’s required to wear over top. It then appears that for the official coronation photos, she removes the cape, revealing an intricate V-shaped neckline, which showed off the stunning George VI festoon necklace, which was a gift to the late Queen Elizabeth in 1950.
The McQueen dress was created from ivory silk crepe with silver bullion and threadwork embroidery featuring, Rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrock motifs representing the four nations. Her look was completed with a jess collette and alexander mcqueen headpiece with silver bullion, crystal and silver threadwork three-dimensional leaf embroidery.
