God save the King! After all the pomp and circumstance of his coronation, King Charles III sat for his first official portrait as the head of the church of England. The Royal Family released the portrait, following the coronation, on Monday, May 8. Her Majesty the Queen, Camilla‘s portrait was released shortly after, as well as another portrait with many members of the Royal Family. You can see all of them below.
The portrait of Charles should be familiar to those who tuned in for the coronation services on Saturday, May 6. His Majesty was wearing the royal purple robe and white cape that he changed into after the crown was placed on his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminster Abbey during the service. He also held one of his Scepters and the Orb as he sat on the red throne. Of course, he was also wearing the St. Edward Crown. “The first official portrait of His Majesty The King following his Coronation on 6th May,” The Royal Family wrote in the caption.
In Camilla’s official portrait, which you can see here, she was standing in front of a throne in the white robe that she wore following the ceremony. In the other portrait, the pair posed with other members of the Royal Family, including Prince William. Charles’ younger son Prince Harry was not seen in the photo with the rest of the family. He reportedly went right back to the United States very shortly after the ceremony had concluded.
A portrait of Charles and Camilla together was also released, and in the caption the Royal Family reflected on what a special day the coronation was. “As the Coronation weekend draws to a close, my wife and I just wanted to share our most sincere and heartfelt thanks to all those who have helped to make this such a special occasion,” Charles said in the caption.
King Charles was officially crowned during the coronation ceremony on Saturday. He made an oath to commit to his role as the king during the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. After the Archbishop placed the crown on His Majesty’s head, Queen Camilla took the same oath and had Queen Mary’s Crown placed on her head with gems from the late Queen Elizabeth II’s collection in it.
The coronation was held months after Queen Elizabeth died at 96 in September 2022. She was the longest-reigning monarch in the history of England, having ruled for 70 years. The ceremony was a special moment for both the Royal Family and all who got to attend. Many of Charles’ relatives were given special roles during the coronation to help celebrate him formally being crowned.
The Coronation Service of Their Majesties The King Charles III and The Queen was attended by a congregation of more than 2,200 guests, including Members of the Royal Family, international representatives from over 200 countries, and approximately 100 Heads of State. The hand painted invitation, which was shared via the Royal’s Instagram, was sent to all guests. Notably absent among the guests were US President Joe Biden, though his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, attended, and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, who stayed in America with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
In the official announcement for the King’s coronation made back in October 2022, Buckingham Palace promised that the coronation would “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.” The Archbishop of Canterbury performed the official crowning of Charles with St Edward’s Crown and the crowning of Camila with Queen Mary’s Crown at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6.
