This morning, William and Kate brought George, Charlotte and Louis to Westminster Abbey for a rehearsal with the King, Queen and Princess Royal.
Coronation rehearsal! The King, Prince William, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte and Prince George have all been at Westminster Abbey this morning for their rehearsals https://t.co/P54Vpmgoti
— Matt Wilkinson (@MattSunRoyal) May 3, 2023
I noticed they were joined by Jamie Lowther Pinkerton (an integral adviser to William and Harry in their youth whose presence has been sorely missed at Kensington Palace). The former British army officer is Prince George's godfather. Click here to see a selection of photos on the Mail Online.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and Kids Arrive at Coronation Rehearsal https://t.co/CV6zpFWVhG
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 3, 2023
A brief arrival video.
King Charles and the Queen Consort arrived at Westminster Abbey this morning for rehearsals ahead of the coronation on Saturday.
— ITV News (@itvnews) May 3, 2023
They were also joined by William and Kate with their three childrenhttps://t.co/q4qsLvZ0ul pic.twitter.com/qdSns95uTy
The King departing.
The Queen with her grandsons.
With thanks to Innominate, the Princess of Wales wore the L.K. Bennett Mortimer in Ditsy Floral Print.
Kate owns the Mortimer dress in green and cream spot print. It remains available on LK Bennett's website here.
With just days to go until the Coronation and a packed weekend of events, Buckingham Palace confirmed a raft of engagements, audiences and appearances for the King, Queen and members of the Royal family. To offer a brief insight into the current plan: on Friday there will be a Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers Lunch and an overseas reception in the evening for overseas guests. I would expect to see the Waleses attend both events certainly. On Sunday, the Big Lunch will see royals deployed across the UK; the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in Cranleigh; the Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence will attend a street party in Swindon; Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will attend a Big Lunch in Windsor. Following the Coronation concert, it will be a full day Monday with royals attending 'Big Help Out' events across the country. The precise details of William and Kate's schedule are due to be shared before the end of the week.
To say planning is continuing apace would be quite the understatement, though royal aides cannot prepare for all eventualities. There was a rather disturbing incident at BP yesterday evening. Outside the Palace, a man threw shotgun cartridges into the grounds. It is understood to be an isolated incident and a controlled explosion was undertaken by police as a precaution. Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald told the BBC: "Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody. There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public. Officers remain at the scene and further enquiries are ongoing." It's understood neither the King nor Queen were in residence at the time.
Meanwhile, as London dimmed its lights and went to sleep, the final major rehearsal for the Coronation took place.
To say it was a spectacle fit for a king would be only fitting.
A glimpse into the historic pageantry ahead on Saturday.
The Ministry of Defence noted: "4,000 sailors, soldiers and aviators paraded through the empty streets of the Capital as they mounted their final full-scale rehearsal of the Coronation processions ahead of 6 May. Personnel from all regiments of the British Army, and from across the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, formed up into the eight processional groups that will lead Their Majesties The King and Queen Consort back to Buckingham Palace after the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey."
The MOD added: "The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment had the furthest to parade, as they will lead the ceremonial charge for both The King’s Procession to Westminster Abbey, and the return procession from the Abbey."
The Royal Air Force contingent of the procession.
I saw officers tweeting they went with just an hour's sleep last night in order to ensure the rehearsal went off precisely to plan. Below, a soldier from the Gurkha regiment having coffee before the rehearsal commenced.
Seamus the Irish Wolfhound leads the pipes and drums into the Buckingham Palace grounds.
A commanding sight.
Drummers stand ready.
The Tri-service Guard of Honour wait to move into the grounds of Buckingham Palace at the end of the evening’s rehearsal.
I think you'll agree, it's truly going to be something special on Saturday.
We'll see the Prince and Princess tomorrow for a visit to the Dog & Duck Pub in Soho where they will hear how its preparing for the Coronation weekend.
The pictures of the rehearsal taking place at night actually make me wish the coronation were an evening affair. All the pomp and ceremony would be even more dramatic at night. Think of all the gold glittering in the street lights! Alas, I suppose it wouldn't be practical or perhaps entirely safe from a security point of view to schedule the ceremony so late, but if I were queen....
ReplyDeleteVittoria, there are videos of the rehearsal on YouTube. It's just as you imagine. The gold state coach was shining, it was magical to see it. The other coach that will bring the King and Queen to the abbey looked amazing as well but how can you compete with a gold coach that is over 250 year's old. S.🙂.
DeleteCharlotte, thanks for the update. I was very pleased to see Prince Louis today, it had been reported that he might not attend on Saturday. The family all looked very happy to be there. Hopefully not too much nerves on the day. That incident outside the palace last night was dealt with very quickly. There has been a very high level of security and police around the palace and along the route. They started closing streets down two days ago and have been sealing manhole s etc. Hopefully nothing will happen on the day. I also hope any protester's will respect those who want to celebrate the occasion. I saw the rehearsal last night. The gold carriage was a sight to behold. S.🙂.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting it must be to see that ! I’m happy for you.
DeleteWhen I said saw I should of said watched on UK TV last night. S.🙂.
DeleteI am surprised Kate is wearing LK Bennett. It is my understanding the company was sold a few years ago and was purchased by someone in China. The U.K. readers may know other and better information.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to seeing the Wales family on Saturday when coverage begins in the U.S.
I can’t wait to see it all unfold! So excited! I can’t even imagine how amazing to see it in person. Sue from IL
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I'm so curious for your thoughts on the state of the monarchy as we head into the coronation. In particular, how do you think Kate/William's roles will evolve? Since The Queen's death we've seen a lot of business as usual activity from all the working royals; will that continue or will there be changes?
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for Saturday and hope they can all take a deep breath and really soak in the moment!
Hello AP,
DeleteIt has been very much business as usual and whilst we've seen several trips to Wales, we're yet to see the patronages/association in Wales/Cornwall I was expecting. I imagine that will be a key focus for the months ahead.
I have my own concerns about Charles' vision for streamlining. The most pertinent question is the value it offers the public? Less royals working and supporting charities without a change to the overall expenditure/funding seems very much in contradiction with the late Queen's ethos of "being seen to be believed".
For 2023 thus far, we've seen a reduction in engagements for William and Kate and the pattern of taking full term time off continue (this is totaling almost five months a year) so unless we see a substantial uptick from W&K, we're looking at a continued drop in the numbers of engagements across the board.
By the end of the year, we'll have a much clearer picture of how the next 5 years or so will operate. I'm hoping to see many more community impact days, trips around the UK and a Commonwealth tour. It's very much time for the couple to set out their stall in terms of what the public can expect from the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
It's definitely a case of watch this space in the coming months :)
In her recent interview, the Princess Royal seemed to express a concern that the monarchy is pretty much down to the bare bones already in terms of royals who are available to carry out engagements and take on patronages. She doesn't appear to feel that more "streamlining" is possible. Thinking about it, I realized that the Kent contingent is pretty much hors de combat now -- the Duke and his sister, Princess Alexandra, have appeared recently in a few contexts, but both are elderly and frail, while Prince and Princess Michael were never active in public life and apparently not really considered desirable representatives of Crown and country. The Gloucesters will probably be wanting to retire from public life relatively soon if they haven't already. Finally, they've lost Prince Andrew and the Sussexes.
DeleteThat leaves the Edinburghs to pick up the slack, but they have a lot on their plates already. It may be that the York princesses are going to have to be handed some public duties, while Lady Louise and the Earl of Wessex may have to be recruited at some point in the future.
In other words, Charles has already gotten his wish for a streamlined monarchy, and it just might prove to be more problematic than he imagined. I would not be especially surprised if he told the Waleses that he needs more involvement and commitment from them. Eventually, the children will go away to school, and the Prince and Princess will likely feel less constrained by parental obligations, but that's years in the future. The royals need to think carefully about all this, though, because fewer engagements mean less visibility, and less visibility means fewer people paying attention to the monarchy and believing that it remains both relevant and inextricably intertwined with British national identity.
I think The Princess Royal made a very good point on the issue of a slimed down Royal family. "There was a lot more people around when that was thought about" Soon enough the late Queen's cousins will retire or be unable to work for the King. That would leave 5 senior working Royals and the King and Queen. It's not a lot but who's going to be asked to step up. The York sisters would be perfect or Zara and Peter could be asked to do more but they have their own lives now. The Earl of Wessex or Lady Louise? Then you have the issue of part-time or full-time working Royals. I've always been the first to say the Prince and Princess of Wales deserve as much time as they can get with their children while they are young. I didn't realise it's nearly 5 months off. That is something they need to look at. S.🙂.
DeleteI do agree with you Charlotte. I know that it is amazing to spend time with your kids, however if they are pretending to be like all the other parents, down to Earth, they should start be more visible. Being on paid vacation for 5 months seems to much for me. Totally not relatable and makes me feel very distanced from them.
DeleteI believe they are doing good job with raising their kids far from the spot light, but Prince George is 10 now. He should be more visible for the people. It is probably annoying being under the lights but thats his fate, and I’m afraid they all need to accept it. I do hope I see Waleses more and more this year. They have to involve the kids in the business as well. As any other business if you don’t nourish it, it will not grow.
Thank you so much for your thoughts! I agree with what you’ve said here and am also surprised/confused by the term breaks. As you say, we’ll have to wait and see.
DeleteSince we’ve had yet another murderous mass shooting in America today, the tossed shotgun shell incident drew a stark contrast for me. We slaughter daily here.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if I will get up at 6:00 AM Eastern to watch the big event. Ritual has such a profound impact for humans. And our special cousins across the Pond know how to make a spectacular show. I’m unlikely to be alive for William’s accession.
In our sad world, imagining our ancestors hundreds of years ago anointing and crowning a king is a comfort even to an Irish-American “republican” like me.
Karen in Virginia
I do hope you watch it Karen, it is still a piece of history, and I like you, will probably not see William's accession. I feel you are right that ritual has a profound impact on us as humans and I for one want to hold on to that sense of comfort in the traditions and rituals that can for even a small moment in time, unite us - even to an American anglophile, with Irish roots, like me.
DeleteKaren, the last mass shooting in the UK was in 1996. They changed their gun laws after that. I'm Irish and looking forward to it. The late Queen got a fantastic reception here on her last and first visit. The American President got a great welcome home when he arrived here a few weeks ago. The former president Trump arrived here tonight. S.🙂.
DeleteSadly, the UK has had several mass shootings more recent than Dunblane in 1996. I'm thinking of the Cumbria and Plymouth shootings among others.
DeleteBut certainly, no country tops the US for this sort of thing, owing to our extremely problematic gun laws.
SO EXCITING! I didn't think anything could ever come close to Queen Elizabeth's royal Cypher, but I have to say, I really like Charles' and especially Camilla's. Really scroll-y and pretty. I also absolutely love the invitation. I love nature and whimsy, so for it to be those things is a treat. I also love the back of the Household Calvary's coats. I am just ALL.IN. and I didn't think I was going to be ready for this.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite excited about it all & will be up in the wee hours to watch coverage. I already have my treats ready (from Fortnum & Mason). Over here, coverage begins at 5am Est/4am Central. However, after looking at the schedule for the day, I'm wondering if I might be well to start an hour earlier, even if it's only streaming, until the coverage begins over here an hour later!?? Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteI know "Queen Charlotte/A Bridgerton Story" drops tomorrow... but I have myself committed not to watch it until after The Coronation. I have much to get done, in order to get to bed early Friday night, in order to get up as planned to watch everything live. However, I need to then head back to bed, as we have a big event Saturday Night.... which I have to be at my best for! Sunday I can relax & maybe take a peak at Netflix. It'll be a very royal weekend! :)
I've been in touch with my friends & colleagues over in the UK, especially in London & I am so homesick for London.... It will feel good to watch it all live & celebrate!
Thank you in advance Charlotte, for what I know will be amazing coverage! :) xoxo
It looks like it is all coming together and I’m looking forward to seeing it all happen. I’m on the west coast of the USA so I’ll probably set my tv to record in case I’m not able to be awake.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if they brought Louis with them to see how he handles the whole experience before they decide if he is/is not attending.
I do hope we start to see more of the Wales’s out and about, especially with King Charles’s “slimmed down” monarchy. I did watch the interview with Princess Anne (thanks YouTube!) and her devotion to service and the country is quite remarkable. For someone who rarely does interviews, she is so well-spoken and it’s easy to see why she and Charles have a close bond. She is an asset to the country and I imagine to her brother as well.
Charlotte, thanks for the update. I was very pleased to see Prince Louis today, i hope she can join the coronation these Saturday
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to see the Coronation unfold, thank you for the continued coverage
ReplyDeleteI was really hoping to see an uptick in Will and Kate's workload, now with the passing of the torch to the next generation. But alas, more of the same. (Or more of not much.) I feel like we have all been patient - for the past 12 years, of Kate easing into royal life and then pregnancies and very young kids. And this was okay, since there were a lot of royals to carry the burden and they were young. But now, we have Will and Kate in their 40s (they are in what would normally be prime working years), Ed and Sophie in the 50s and then a lot of senior citizens in their 70s and 80s.
ReplyDeleteNow, as a mother, I understand the desire to spend time with your children when they are young. But I also struggle with the fact that the children are all in school, and have a full time nanny. And basically taking 5 months a year off from a job - well to me, that shows more of them being out of touch with the UK public than wearing tiaras or spendy fashion. How many moms AND dads can not work for 5 months a year? Very, very few. And none with publicly funded expenses..... (yes, I do understand the Duchy of Cornwall funding.) I guess I don't know for sure what is normal vacation allowances in the UK, but I'm assuming it is a lot lower than 5 months. And it isn't as if they are working every other day when the kids are in school.
And even if you call dress fittings as "working" and and the behind the scenes whatnot for visits, still a very low workload.
And I say all of this as a huge Will and Kate fan. I just think it is time for them to pull their weight and give the older family members more support.
Coronation thoughts - given Anne's comments about wearing a uniform to the coronation, seems that we will be disappointed greatly with the fashion and jewelry at the event.
Anne is the only senior female Royal who can wear a uniform. I think she meant that comment in the context of saving her the trouble of deciding what to wear. Anne will act as gold rod on the day which is the Kings bodyguard. She will also travel on horseback. S.🙂.
DeleteI agree 5 months off is very excessive. Generally in the uk it’s 5/6 weeks holiday per year for people .
DeleteIt goes without saying that if Kate wore items more times there would be less time spent on dress fittings and shopping for outfits.
They really need to engage and relate more to their subjects.
There is no reason why during the school holidays for a few weeks they could undertake a couple of engagements each week separately whilst the other looks after the children
Charlotte, I am “glad” to see a critical analysis of the Wales workload because quite frankly the tone of some of your commentary is too full of awe at quite mundane events.
ReplyDeleteHowever I have a different opinion on the type of engagements they undertake. Both do really well at meeting the public, having a laugh, being sporty etc. Where they have shown considerable less skill is in more serious impactful undertakings such as the recent launch of K’s early child initiative that I’ve already forgotten the details about.
To me the impact of their engagements is the more important, they are straddling a fence and have been for some years now. Advisors have come and gone and yet they don’t seem to make much headway. They pop in and out around term time schedules which I’m fine with except that the initiatives have corresponding fits and starts also.
A more strategic approach is long overdue.
It is tricky the work load. On the one hand we have endless reams written about how bad the Queen and Charles were as parents because they worked rather than parented and then endless words about William and Catherine not working enough. Louis to my understanding only starts actual school in September.
ReplyDeleteI also think in these months since we lost Queen Elizabeth it has been profoundly important for Charles and Camilla to be front and centre stage and Charles's reign to be started on a very firm basis without endless polls about how Williams should be King rather.I felt the lower profile of William in these months was deliberate.
It has also been important that the inevitable changes with a new monarch were not cataclysmic but very gradual at first. I thought Anne's interview was intentionally given in part to flag the winding back of the streamling and to pave the way for inclusion of some of next generation. The recent changes with the York sisters probably supports this. I think we might see far more use of technology based initiatives. I think the Camilla's the Queen's reading room on instagram is an excellent example of this and may well prove to be a prototype.
We all have opinions about what should occur. Comments here just evidencing this-more face to visits or more strategic approach. Not everyone's expectations can be met.
I expect over the next year things will become clearer. To be absolutely fair a great deal has happened to the Royals in the last year which has needed careful management.
If one looks at Queen Elizabeth's generation Margaret hardly worked but some of her cousins did. Charles of course is starting his reign as an older man so he will need to make decisions as to who of the next generation are willing and able to give some support. It has interested me the way the Tindals have managed to do this.
Libby, thank you so much for your balanced and fair comment.
DeleteHer dress remind of her 28 April 2011 outfit .May be it's a deliberate nod. The effervescent preparation of a generation ceremony is the same,tis time with her children.
ReplyDelete