Why King Charles Is “Fretting” Over the Coronation Ceremony

With just days to go before the most important moment of his life, it’s not surprising that King Charles is suffering from some last-minute nerves. Sources close to Charles tell Vanity Fair that while he is “enormously excited” about his impending coronation ceremony, he is “fretting” over the number of robe changes he will have to undergo on Saturday.

In accordance with tradition, Their Majesties will wear two different sets of robes during the coronation service: the Robes of State and the Robes of Estate. Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will don the Robes of State upon their arrival at Westminster Abbey, and the Robes of Estate (which are traditionally more personalised in design) on their departure, following the coronation service.

During the service, Charles will undergo several robe changes and will wear various historic items of clothing that were previously worn by former monarchs at past coronations, including one of the oldest vestments in the Royal Collection: the robe worn by King George IV in 1821 for his coronation. 

“The King and Queen are definitely nervous. It’s the logistics that are worrying them more than anything else. They’re worried about how it will all play out just as anyone else would be. It’s rather endearing to hear them fretting over the things any other normal person would be worried about. There haven’t been weeks of rehearsals but there will be intensive rehearsals over the coming days so everyone will know exactly what they are doing on the day,” one source told VF. “The King has mentioned the number of changes he will have saying he is having to arrive robed, then having to de-robe, then re-robe again. I think that’s been concerning him, he wants it all to go smoothly.”

On Monday, Buckingham Palace released new details about the robes the king will wear. While monarchs traditionally have some new coronation robes custom made (the Queen commissioned a bespoke coronation gown by Sir Norman Hartnell) the King will reuse a number of robes used for previous coronations in the interests of sustainability according to the palace. 

“Although it is customary for the Supertunica and the Imperial Mantle to be reused, His Majesty will also reuse the Colobium Sindonis, Coronation Sword Belt and Coronation Glove worn by his grandfather King George VI, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” the palace said in a statement.

The historic vestments are laden with historical significance and featured in the Coronation Services of King George IV in 1821, King George V in 1911, King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and include the Colobium Sindonis, the Supertunica, the Imperial Mantle, the Coronation Sword Belt and the Coronation Glove.  

As rehearsals begin in the lead-up to the weekend’s events, VF has also learned that the Queen Consort has been practicing entering and exiting a coach wearing a crown so that she is comfortable wearing the Crown of Queen Mary. The headpiece was made for Charles’s great grandmother Queen Mary for the coronation of her husband George V in 1911.

The crown is heavy and Camilla, who has only previously worn tiaras, wants to feel confident wearing the historic piece. “The Queen wants to feel confident carrying the weight of the Queen Mary crown on her head. She has been practicing wearing it and getting in and out of the coach,” the source adds.

VF has also learned that the newly crowned King and Queen will celebrate privately with a select number of family and friends on Sunday following the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle. “Some of their friends who were not invited to the coronation ceremony have been invited to the castle for a soirée on the night of the concert. It’s a very VIP invitation and a chance for the king and queen to be off duty for the first time over the weekend of celebrations.”