Inside the Coronation of King Charles III

LONDON — Seventy years after his mother was crowned, and under the same gray and rainy skies, King Charles III became England’s, and Britain’s, 62^nd monarch at a service packed with pomp and pageantry at Westminster Abbey.

The longest-serving heir to the throne officially became king following a service presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and witnessed by 2,200 guests, and multi-millions of livestream viewers worldwide.

More from WWD

• King Charles III's Coronation: The Whimsical Hats

• King Charles III's Coronation Reception for Overseas Guests With Kate Middleton, Jill Biden and More

• A Look Back at WWD's Coverage of King Charles

The 74-year-old Charles was crowned alongside his wife of 18 years, Queen Consort Camilla, who accompanied him down the aisle of Westminster Abbey.

Once the ermine-edged, bejeweled crown of St. Edward was placed on Charles’ head, the congregation shouted “God Save the King!” an exclamation that Britons hadn’t heard since the days of Charles’ grandfather, King George VI, who died in 1952.

Tradition was at the fore, with the king wearing the white ermine and crimson velvet Robe of State – like a royal from a fairy tale – as he made his way to the abbey’s altar.

The Robe of State had been worn by Charles, grandfather, King George VI at his coronation in 1937. In preparation for the ceremony the velvet was conserved by the Royal School of Needlework, with the lining and gold lace conserved by Ede and Ravenscroft, the oldest tailors in London, established in 1689.

British fashion also played a big role in Saturday’s service, with Queen Consort Camilla turning to the couturier Bruce Oldfield for her white-and-gold gown.

According to Oldfield, the dress was cut from peau de soie, a silk fabric that was woven by Stephen Walters in Suffolk, England. The dress had an ivory, silver and gold color palette, with bracelet length sleeves, and a wide V-neck neckline.

It featured celebratory bunting, done in antique gold and silver thread, as well as garlands of abstract wildflowers, daisy chains, forget-me-nots, celandine and scarlet pimpernel, all meant to represent the royal couple’s affection for nature and the British countryside.

On the underskirt and the cuffs of each sleeve were flower emblems of the four nations of the United Kingdom – a rose, a thistle, a daffodil and a shamrock.

“I am honored to have been asked to design such an historic gown for Her Majesty. This really is the most important commission of my life. Very exciting and very special,” Bruce Oldfield told WWD.

The designer said he’s been designing outfits for Camilla for over a decade and “the dress is a style and silhouette that Her Majesty likes very much. It is sophisticated and appropriate for an occasion of grandeur such as this.

“An interesting element of the gown is that it reflects a more fluid and modern representation of the king and the Queen Consort’s affection for nature and the British countryside. I think it is always a good idea to look back at history – not just to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation gown, but to those before her as well, which I did,” Oldfield added.

The queen consort wore the same necklace that Queen Elizabeth II wore for her own coronation in 1953. The necklace was made by Garrard and presented to Queen Victoria in 1858.

The Princess of Wales once again tapped Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, who in 2011 made her wedding gown, for her and her daughter Princess Charlotte’s coronation outfits.

The gown is made from ivory silk crepe with silver bullion and thread work embroidery featuring rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock motifs, with the Royal Victorian Order Mantle.

In a left-field move, the princess chose not to wear a family tiara, but instead wore a Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen headpiece with silver bullion, crystal and silver thread work three-dimensional leaf embroidery.

The gown was embroidered with flowers symbolizing the four countries that make up Great Britain, similar to the embellishment on Queen Elizabeth’s coronation gown, which was designed by Norman Hartnell.

She also wore the Royal Victorian Order Mantle.

The princess paid homage to her mother-in-law, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, by wearing her South Sea Pearl earrings. Diana first wore the earrings in November 1990 to the coronation banquet of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan.

The Princess of Wales’ daughter, Princess Charlotte, wore a similar outfit to that of her mother. The dress is white and has a little cape with embroidered lapels. She wore white mary jane shoes and smaller version of the Princess of Wales’ crown.

Prince George, Charlotte’s elder brother, and second in line to the throne, took part in the ceremony.

Dressed in a red military coat with gold frogging, he was one of the pages who carried the king’s train at the abbey.

His little brother, Prince Louis, wore an outfit made by Dege and Skinner including a blue doeskin tunic with specially designed lace work embellishment to the collar, cuffs and fronts.

Jean Seaton, professor of Media History at the University of Westminster in London said the female royals’ outfits were refreshingly simple, elegant and appropriate for such an important occasion.

“They reflected a very modern Britain, and a hopeful Britain. There was no bling here. The women were dressed simply and beautifully. You could tell the designers who dressed them were thinking about the jobs the women were doing,” she said.

She pointed to the long, ivory dresses that Camilla’s two companions, her sister Annabel Elliot, and The Marchioness of Lansdowne, wore.

Designed by Fiona Clare, they were meant complement each other, according to Buckingham Palace. One had a standing collar with hand embroidered detail, while the other had silver edging.

She said Camilla’s dress “wasn’t oppressively embroidered,” and that the bunting added a “certain sort of jollity” to the silhouette.

Seaton also pointed out that Princess Anne was in military uniform, including trousers, and rode a horse as part of the procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. Princess Anne wore the uniform of the Blues and Royals with her medals and other military regalia.

Heads of state, members of the British parliament and other guests, including figures from the worlds of entertainment and fashion, opted for British, and other designers, on the day.

Katy Perry, who’ll be performing at the coronation concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday evening, wore a lilac Vivienne Westwood ensemble and hat. Edward Enninful was dressed in a bespoke Huntsman morning suit.

Princess Beatrice wore a hot pink dress from the British brand Beulah London. Named the Sienna, it retails for 695 pounds, and is a wink to her young daughter, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi.

Beatrice wore a gold Emily London headband with the dress.

A pregnant Princess Eugenie wore a navy Fendi dress by Kim Jones with a long black coat, a navy hat, and sandals. She carried the dark blue leather ISeeU Peekaboo bag from Fendi.

Some guests expressed their support for war-torn Ukraine through their clothing.

Jill Biden and her granddaughter Finnegan Biden walked into the abbey wearing colors matching those of the Ukrainian flag.

Biden, who was attending on behalf of her husband, U.S. President Joe Biden, wore a Ralph Lauren periwinkle blue jacket with an asymmetrical neckline; a knee-length pencil skirt and matching gloves.

She accessorized with a petit bow hat, a pair of cream heels, and a square clutch bag that matched her shoes.

Finnegan Biden wore a long, cream-yellow cape dress by Markarian. She completed her look with a yellow floral hairband and a small vanity case-style bag.

Carole Middleton, the mother of the Princess of Wales and Pippa Middleton, the princess’ sister, also appeared together in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Britain’s first lady Akshata Murty and Pippa Middleton were wearing dresses by the same British designer, Claire Mischevani, who specializes in formal and occasion wear. Mischevani’s other clients include socialites and royals such as Zara Tindall, Carrie Johnson and Lady Gabriella Windsor.

Following the ceremony the working members of the royal family and the pages joined the king and queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, to wave to the crowds.

Those crowds cheered for the couple from under Union Jack umbrellas and plastic raincoats on what proved to be a very soggy day.

There was a helicopter salute and a flypast by Royal Air Force’s Red Arrow aerobatic planes, which left red, white and blue smoke in their wake.

Charles, wearing the Robe of Estate and a Purple Coronation Tunic made by Ede and Ravenscroft, appeared moved by the crowds’ enthusiasm, and the display, and at one point looked as if he was on the verge of tears.

London is packed with people – international tourists and Britons hoping to catch a glimpse of all the pageantry, and soak up the atmosphere on the city’s streets.

People have been camping out in the royal parks, such as Green Park and St. James’s Park, for much of the past week to get the best view possible of the coronation procession.

The parks are filled with families who’ve pitched tents, laid out lawn chairs and set up temporary home in the parks, where screens have been erected to watch the service. Those campers are also hoping to get a good view of the royal family, who will gather later on Saturday on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

As expected, anti-royal protestors have also gathered in London for the coronation.

They carried yellow signs and posters and waved flags with slogans that said “Not My King,” “Abolish The Monarchy,” and “Citizens, Not Subjects.”

Members of the “Just Stop Oil” movement joined the protest as people gathered to watch the procession in central London on Saturday morning as King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla made their way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the service.

Launch Gallery: Inside King Charles III Coronation

Best of WWD

• Virgil Abloh Portrait Featured in Mural With Trailblazers

• 'The Novice' Pushed Isabelle Fuhrman Past Her Breaking Point

• Brandon Maxwell Talks Lady Gaga, ‘Project Runway,’ Walmart

Click here to read the full article.