King Charles and Queen Camilla Star in New Portrait as More Coronation Details Are Announced
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Buckingham Palace shared how Prince George will be involved in the crowning ceremony and given a glimpse of the official invite
King Charles and Queen Camilla are counting down to the coronation with a new portrait.
On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace released a new photo of the King, 74, and Queen Consort, 75, along with new details about the crowning ceremony. The picture shows the royal couple posing closely together in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, and was taken by Hugo Burnand in March.
Charles and Camilla previously commissioned Burnand to photograph their wedding in 2005, and have reportedly tapped him to take the official portraits on their May 6 coronation day.
The latest photo of King Charles and Queen Camilla came with updates on the crowning ceremony. Ending months of speculation, courtiers confirmed what role Prince George, 9, will play in the exciting event. The second-in-line to the throne will serve as a Page of Honor alongside Queen Camilla's grandsons, Freddy Parker Bowles, Gus Lopes and Louis Lopes. As part of a group of eight, the boys will process together through Westminster Abbey.
Related:Prince George and Queen Camilla's Grandkids' Roles in King Charles' Coronation Revealed!
"Throughout the Coronation Service on 6th May, Their Majesties will each be attended by four Pages of Honour. The Pages will form part of the procession through the Nave of Westminster Abbey," a statement from Buckingham Palace said. "The King's Pages of Honour will be His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Master Nicholas Barclay and Master Ralph Tollemache."
"The Queen Consort's Pages of Honour will be Her Majesty's grandsons, Master Gus and Master Louis Lopes and Master Freddy Parker Bowles, and Her Majesty's great-nephew, Master Arthur Elliot," the statement continued.
Freddy is the son of Camilla's son Tom Parker Bowles and Sara Buys, who also share daughter Lola Parker Bowles, 15. Gus and Louis Lopes are the twin sons of Camilla's daughter Laura Lopes, who also shares daughter 15-year-old daughter Eliza with husband Harry Lopes. Queen Camilla's children and grandchildren attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September.
The palace has also shared the official coronation invitation, which will be issued to over 2,000 guests for the service at Westminster Abbey.
The intricate invite with floral border was designed by Andrew Jamieson, a heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator. It will printed on a recycled card — a likely nod to King Charles' lifelong interest in sustainability. Two birds perch on the letter C, which is flanked by Charles and Camilla's coats of arms. Flowers flow into an illustration of the Green Man — "an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign," the palace said.
Related:King Charles' Coronation Invitation Released by Buckingham Palace — Inside the Symbolism
Related:King Charles' Coronation: All Your Burning Questions About the Crowning Ceremony Answered
"The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla," the letter heralds. "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."
The photograph, pages and invitation are the latest updates from Buckingham Palace on the upcoming coronation celebration. Though Charles became King immediately upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September, he will be symbolically crowned beside his wife, Queen Camilla, in just a few weeks.
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"Charles became King Charles the moment his mother died, but the coronation is to do with the job and being the monarch in the eyes of all the people," royal historian Robert Lacey told PEOPLE.
Following nearly a thousand years of tradition, the historic service will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
"The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry," Buckingham Palace previously said.
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