What To Wear To A Coronation: Deciphering A Dress Code

Ushering in a sustainable and casual era for King Charles’ official appointment.

Poor Charles. At the age of 73, he’s the oldest person to accede to the British throne. In a time where there’s a cost-of-living crisis, national worker strikes, soaring inflation and escalating poverty in the UK, it also means he can’t have the type of ostentatious coronation party Mummy had in 1953. Even the entertainment line-up is lukewarm. Nicole Scherzinger and Take That have signed up to perform. Adele, Harry Styles and the Spice Girls have not.

Whether you’re an avid royalist or an anti-monarchist, this weekend’s coronation of King Charles III elicits some curiosity about what we can expect to see for Charles’ official appointment as King, including the dress code.

Queen Elizabeth II’s three-hour service was the first coronation to be televised in full, offering a global audience a peek into the pomp and pageantry of British royal protocol.

What will guests wear?

The invitation calls for “morning dress, lounge suit or national dress”, which also encourages a less formal approach to the proceedings.

Eight thousand people attended the Queen’s coronation. This weekend, 2000 guests have been invited to a scaled-back celebration.

Among them will be members of the royal family, representatives from the Houses of Parliament and prominent politicians from the Commonwealth and around the world, including our own high-profile New Zealanders, from Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to former All Black captain Richie McCaw; opposition leader Christopher Luxon, to Kīngi Tūheitia and his wife Makau Ariki te Atawhai; Victoria Cross recipient Willie Apiata to New Zealand Cross recipient Abdul Aziz and Phil Goff, NZ High Commissioner to the UK.

For this weekend’s occasion, it will be a case of whether a guest wants to wear a traditional historic ceremonial robe with their finest jewels, or err more toward the future in a bespoke day dress or a suit to reflect the modernity the monarchy wants to project.

Those ostentatious garbs usually worn by members of the House of Lords — coronation robes and coronets, for example — will also most likely be replaced by standard business attire and simpler parliamentary ermines.

For New Zealand Prime Minister Hipkins, expect to see something in keeping with a morning suit but still modern, with an element of New Zealand in the form of a kākahu worn with a smart Barkers suit and a custom tie created by local family business Parisian Ties from their 1919 collection, which celebrates 104 years in business this year, proudly made in Aotearoa.

“We chose the fabric for its subtle elegance,” explains Parisian’s director John Crompton. “On first glance it appears understated, yet the jacquard weave actually incorporates five colours of silk. This not only adds depth but allows the tie to be the focal point of an outfit, to bring together the surrounding tones, so everything is balanced.”

Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, who is a valued client of local fashion doyenne Liz Mitchell, will adhere to the dress code with a day dress and a korowai, says her office. Her husband, Dr Richard Davies, intends to wear a morning coat that will complement his wife’s outfit.

The Times also reported that Catherine, the Princess of Wales, is considering not wearing a tiara in favour of a floral headpiece. “There are also rumours within palace circles that no royal women will wear tiaras,” reported the outlet.

As for Prince Harry, it’s currently unclear what military uniform he will be allowed to wear, if at all.

To further reduce any extravagant displays in acknowledgement of the country’s current cost of living crisis, King Charles is keeping things slightly more casual, including cutting the length of the ceremony to just over an hour.

In keeping with his eco-friendly values, King Charles will be re-wearing several items for the day.

As King Charles enters Westminster Abbey, he is expected to wear the King’s Robe of State, made from purple silk velvet featuring intricate embroidery by the Royal School of Needlework, including embroidered flowers such as cornflower, lady’s mantle and maidenhair fern.

For the crowning, King Charles will be given a long shimmering gold-sleeved coat to wear called the Supertunica, created for George V in 1911 and weighing in at 2kg of pure silk embroidered, with stylised arabesque and floral motifs.

“His Majesty will reuse vestments which featured in the coronation services of King George IV in 1821, King George V in 1911, King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, including the Colobium Sindonis, the Supertunica, the Imperial Mantle, the Coronation Sword Belt and the Coronation Glove,” explained a statement from the Royal Collection Trust.

A secondary floor-length layer, the Imperial Mantle or Robe Royal, will be worn on top of the Supertunica, which adds another 3-4kg to the ensemble. These garments are housed at the top of the Tower of London and form part of the coronation regalia.

Additional accessories include a sword belt, also known as a coronation girdle, made from embroidered cloth with a gold buckle placed around the King’s waist during the investiture ceremony; and a single coronation glove known as the coronation gauntlet (worn by his grandfather George VI) which he will wear on his right hand as he holds the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross on the other.

What will Camilla wear?

Queen Consort Camilla has commissioned a gown by her close friend Bruce Oldfield, who was also responsible for many of the late Princess Diana’s gowns.

Like Charles, Camilla will wear a matching purple velvet robe of state, made originally for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. She will also re-wear an existing crown rather than have a new one made for the ceremony. The decision to not wear a newly commissioned crown is aligned with both Charles and Camilla’s commitment to sustainability, albeit a re-wear that will need its own special security. The dazzling Crown of Queen Mary was made for Charles’ great-grandmother, Mary of Teck, in 1911.

Camilla has since had it modified with the 94.4-carat Cullinan III diamond, the 63.6-carat Cullinan IV diamond, and the 18.8 heart-shaped Cullinan V diamond as a tribute to her late mother-in-law.

Buckingham Palace has said in a statement: “The choice of Queen Mary’s crown by Her Majesty is the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the coronation of a consort instead of a new commission being made, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency.”