- Written by Sean Coughlan
- Royal reporter
image source, Hugo Bernand / Buckingham Palace
With a month to go until the coronation, a new portrait of the King and Queen has been released
The first glimpse of the coronation invitation shows the official use of “Queen Camilla,” marking the transition from the “Queen Consort” title.
The ornate invitation sent to about 2,000 guests of “King Charles III and Queen Camilla.”
Her grandchildren will be among the pages at Westminster Abbey, along with the King’s grandson, Prince George.
With a month to go before the coronation, a new official photo of the royal couple has been released.
The May 6 coronation invitation, printed on recycled paper, shows that the coronation will mark a change in how Camilla is named.
The invitation on recycled paper uses the folkloric motif of the “Green Man”
A royal source indicated that in the early part of the New Testament it made sense to use “Queen’s Queen” as a means of distinguishing her from the late Queen Elizabeth. But since the coronation would be the “right time” to officially change to “Queen Camilla”.
At the coronation ceremony next month, Camilla will be crowned alongside the king, after 18 years of marriage for the couple.
It had not been more than a year since the late Queen Elizabeth had taken up what was still an unresolved question regarding Camilla’s future title.
The late Queen gave Camilla a general endorsement, saying she should be called Queen Consort, at a time when there were still suggestions that she would be known as Princess Consort.
The coronation invitation artwork reflects the king’s many years of environmental campaigning, and it uses the folkloric “Green Man” figure, with features made of ivy, hawthorn, and oak leaves.
According to Buckingham Palace, it is the symbol of spring and rebirth that celebrates the new era.
Illustrator Andrew Jamieson’s design also includes images of the natural world, including wildflowers, birds, and insects, as well as patriotic mottos and mottos.
But with the coronation approaching, it remains unclear whether Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s invitation will be accepted.
A spokesperson for the California-based couple said this week that there has been no update on whether or not they will be attending.
The White House confirmed that President Joe Biden, who will not attend, told King by phone Tuesday that First Lady Jill Biden will represent the United States at the event.
“The president also expressed his desire to meet the King in the United Kingdom at a later date,” the statement added.
Last week, the king concluded his first state visit, and received a warm welcome in Germany. But the focus now is on preparations for the coronation.
Roles were given to children of friends and relatives, and eight “pages of honour” were announced for participation in the ceremony.
Prince George, son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, has been given a role in his grandfather’s coronation
They include Prince George, the nine-year-old son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, three of the Queen Consort’s grandchildren, Joss and Luis Lopez, Freddie Parker Bowles, and her nephew Arthur Elliot.
The new official portrait of the King and Queen consort was taken last month in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace.
It comes after the Cabinet Office announced yet another portrait of the monarch, with public places such as council offices, courts, police stations and schools calling for applications for a framed portrait of King Charles.
But anti-monarchy campaigners criticized the £8m budget for the new pictures, saying it was a waste of public money at a time of funding pressures.
The Cabinet Office did not give details of the contract for the framed pictures, but said that details “will be announced in due course.”
It is also understood that there will not be a total figure for government spending on the coronation until after the event.
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