With just under one month to go until King Charles III's coronation, speculation about almost every aspect is abundant across social media and the British Press. Will there be protests? Will a certain American pair actually attend? Who will stand for the famous balcony moment? However, there is one area that is receiving a vast amount of speculation. The fashion.

Due to the longevity of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the world has not witnessed a grand British coronation in exactly 70 years. In that time period, attitudes towards the monarchy, and the King himself, have shifted monumentally leaving many wondering how May’s celebrations will differ from those in 1953. It is fair to say that Charles was always going to opt for a scaled-down event for a myriad of reasons, however, it is also clear that there is one aspect that will not be toned down. The fashions of the King and Queen Consort during a coronation are filled with historical, religious and cultural significance from the opulent crown worn to the golden ring placed on the monarch’s finger at the time of crowning. While we won’t bare witness to the true style of Charles’ coronation until the actual day, it would seem that Charles alongside his wife Camilla will be clothed in the same level of grandeur as coronations of the past.

King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. 1937 coronation.

The last coronation featuring a Queen Consort was held in 1937 for the ceremonial crowning of King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Designed as a public spectacle, no expense was spared on the lavish affair. An entirely new crown was created for Queen Elizabeth for the occasion by Garrad & Co. made from platinum and featuring the highly controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond. (Queen Camilla will not be wearing this particular crown and thus the diamond will not be featured at all.) The new Queen wore a gown made of silk satin as expected which was adorned with pure gold thread embroidery in a rose and thistle pattern. Her ermine-lined velvet robe had a coordinating floral pattern with a gold outline. Both items were embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework who are currently working on Charles and Camilla’s items. As is common in fashion for historic Royal events, both the Queen’s dress and robe highlighted designs relating to the British Empire of the day. Norman Hartnell, who would go on to work intensely closely with Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II, dressed the maids of honour.

Queen Mary’s 1911 coronation gown.
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023

The 1911 coronation of King George V and his wife Queen Mary was even more ostentatious. With 6,000 guests (which was actually far smaller than previous crownings) the impressive size had to be reflected in the style choices of a very dramatic Queen Mary. As generally expected, the Queen Consort wore a cream-coloured silk satin gown which incorporated the floral emblems and symbols of Great Britain and the British Empire at that time, all of which were embroidered by the Princess Louise Needlework School using expensive gold thread. The gown, designed by the London couture house Reville and Rossiter, was trimmed at the neck with Irish needlepoint lace. The silhouette was in Queen Mary’s signature Edwardian outline with corseted waist. Queen Mary’s crown, which will be worn by Camilla on May 6th, was created by Garrad & Co. on a silver frame. The Royal Collection Trust offers more information on the piece, “The Daily Telegraph described it saying 'It has no jewels but diamonds, and the diamonds cluster together as if they had no support but their own light.' The design was inspired by Queen Alexandra's crown of 1902 which has similarly elegant arches. Queen Mary also wore the crown without its arches as a circlet, in particular for the coronation of her son, King George VI at the coronation in 1937.”

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. 1902 coronation.

Following the glory of his mother was no easy feat for King Edward VII and so he threw everything at his 1902 coronation which took place 64 years after that of Queen Victoria which was generally considered a lacklustre event. Of course, Queen Alexandra’s coronation gown had to represent this splendour. Alexandra personally requested Lady Curzon to design her dress which, once again, featured various motifs of England, Scotland and Ireland. It was decided that the gown should be created from a lightweight gold net due to the heavy weight of her ermine mantle. It is not clear where the gown was actually made, however, final alterations were made by the famous House of Worth in Paris.

Queen Consort Camilla will wear a Bruce Oldfield dress alongside Queen Mary’s crown. She is expected to also don The George IV State Diadem. It is not yet clear, at the time of writing, whether other members of the Royal family will be wearing tiaras and coronets.