On November 7, 2023, King Charles III opened Parliament for the first time in his reign at the Houses of Parliament. Queen Camilla joined King Charles at the first State Opening of Parliament to take place during his reign. The event, steeped in tradition, marks the formal start of the parliamentary year which sets the government's agenda for the session. King Charles delivered the King's Speech during the ceremony.
King Charles wore the Imperial State Crown during the ceremony. Queen Camilla wearing the Diamond Diadem for the first time, chose to re-use her coronation gown for her first state opening as a Queen. Also known as the George IV State Diadem, the headpiece was made for the coronation of King George IV in 1820. Since King George IV, the Diamond Diadem has been worn by every British queen, whether they reigned or were consorts.
I am very glad to see tiaras on both the Queen and the peeresses. I was afraid, after the Coronation, that this practice might fall by the wayside too. I DO wish the Queen would check her tiara placement more carefully when she wears them. They’re nearly always just slightly crooked or off-center, or both. That said, I’m also glad to see her wearing this tiara - I was also afraid it might be avoided because of its strong association with her late Majesty QEII. In my brain, this tiara goes with this event, so it feels right to me to see it here.
ReplyDeleteCamilla's dress is beautiful, understated, beautifully embroidered. The only thing I would change is the fastening of the mantle. The cloak is fastened with sleeves and it looks like she has a backpack on her back. A nice solution would be a clasp in the front to hold the cloak.
ReplyDeleteStephanie
lol Queen Camilla re wearing her coronation dress including the train, seems like yesterday
ReplyDeleteI hope you realize Britain's economy is very much struggling and many people in the UK are struggling to meet their monthly bills. It would be dreadfully tone deaf and completely inappropriate for the Queen to spend money on a new gown for this occasion when her coronation gown is perfectly appropriate. The late Queen Elizabeth wore her coronation gown to open the New Zealand and Austrialian Parliaments as well as another 6 times. Not too sure why you think its funny to see a repeat here. Janet
DeleteThe Queen looks very majestic and regal.
ReplyDeleteThey both look just impeccable. The jewelry and crowns are fantastic. It must be hard doing this at their age, those are really stressful events. I admire them for that. Damsel Dragonfly
ReplyDeleteJust gorgeous, the two of them! I can’t stop thinking when I see them, but particularly Camilla who is newer to it all, how hard it must be for these older people to keep dressing up, showing up, and all that photography and fuss and praise and criticism… oh La La … at a time when most people are winding down, with a few creaking joints and at max, having a few friends over for dinner or going for a Sunday drive. Bravo all the older royals!- AnneLise
ReplyDeleteThat is the price they have to pay for all the advantages they encounter during their life as royals. Camilla did everything she could to have Charles for herself. Well she has to pay the price for being the queen consort now. If they are tired and would like to retire like other people in their age category, they can always pass the responsibilities (and the advantages) to William and Catherine.
DeleteI think rewearing her coronation gown was a great idea. It mirrors the late Queen's fondness of her own coronation attire and ties in beautifully with Charles' credo of sustainability as well as leaving the spotlight somewhat on him as the King. It also is a wonderfully crafted dress. Maybe not my personal cup of tea from head to toe, but it suits her well and is impeccably designed. Other than that we can see why she normally wears those massive, rather open tiaras - the State Diadem looks like it was plonked on her head and doesn't sit too well with her hair. But the overall look is still very nice. I particularly like the picture of Camilla stepping off the carriage!
ReplyDelete-Nika-
Is this 2023 almost 2024 ? I thought King Charles was going to modernize things once he became king. I cannot help it but from Queen Elizabeth we did not expect less. With King Charles and Queen Camilla (almost asleep in picture n°9) there is something missing. Her make-up is done very badly. Her eyebrows are too thick and the lipstick is too dark and not applied very well. They look like a king and a queen that stepped out of an old fairy tale. Their outfits and carriage are coming straight from a museum.
ReplyDeleteMany royal houses have to downsize to ensure their future (cfr. The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Spain,...). I wonder if they realize what the rest of the world is thinking of them.
That's a rather harsh statement. I think Camilla's make-up is fine, although I agree on the lipstick. But that's really nitpicking. Picture n°9 is just taken at a bad moment (maybe she was blinking). Personally, I think some things should not be modernized and some things should. But this event most definitely shouldn't. Damsel Dragonfly
DeleteThe king should keep all the pomp and ceremony as it brings in bags of money from the tourist industry.
DeleteWindsor Land just wouldn’t be the same without it. 😁
Anon 19:39
DeleteThank you! How is it possibe for the makeup artist to not see that it’s too much.
/AA
I think there’s a toss up in makeup for special occasions on the face of an older, famous person: do we get it right for the close up photos - or the more distant tv camera and audience? This dilemma no doubt explains Camilla’s make up here. - AnneLise
DeleteThey have fallen out of time.
Delete"I wonder if they realise what the rest of the world is thinking of them" -- does it really matter if we here in the UK are happy to continue with those traditions? I quite like the pomp and pageantry and its connection with our history and culture.
DeleteThis is pure stage makeup often used by an actress doing live theatre.
DeleteNot for camera closeups.
Princess Charlene’s makeup artist should take over the job.
First prize absolutely for Queen Camilla in her wonderfull dress!
ReplyDeleteWell, not hard to win the prize when you’ve got nobody else competing against you.
DeleteCette mode actuelle de redessiner les sourcils en couleur foncé et de les agrandir démesurément est un vrai désastre, et cela, peu importe sur qui le travail est fait.
ReplyDeleteJe ne me lasse pas d'admirer la robe de Camilla mais je trouve que le maquillage n'est pas à son avantage à savoir les sourcils teintés en plus foncé ainsi que le contour de ses lèvres redessiné au crayon très mal fait ; on dirait qu'elle est allergique à quelque chose !
ReplyDeleteLove the jewels; the diamonds are almost big enough. What happened to Camilla's eyebrows; well she got what she wished for; I think the job is wearing her out. I don't really think you rewear the Coronation robes ,for the opening of parliament she needed a less embroidered gown. The King looks fine. The pomp and spectacle of the opening of parliament is a grand tradittion.(Tara)
ReplyDeleteDear Tara.
DeleteYou said “she got what she wished for”. I suppose you mean wanting to be Queen.
In fact, Camilla stated that she did not want to be Queen but wished to remain Duchess or Princess (Consort) of something or other.
I think Camilla knew what was behind the job of being Queen.
It was around the time of her marriage to Charles that she made the statement. At that time her popularity rating was low.
Just before her death, Elizabeth II said that Camilla had to be Queen Consort.
Camilla obeyed her mother-in-law.
Most women of her age are enjoying a quiet and restful retirement.
I don't think the Queen actually changed her mind about Camilla's future role and I don't recall the Queen saying Camilla HAD to be queen. She said it was "her greatest wish" that Camilla be queen consort. It is believed Charles strong armed the Queen into that statement in order to get his support/help with the Andrew situation, which she needed. That is what "palace sources" had leaked anyway. That does line up with Charles known feelings toward Andrew, and the Queen's known favoritism of Andrew. If Camilla desired to be called the "consort", Charles should have allowed it. I will always believe this is something he wanted more than she did. I think she would have had greater acceptance from the people as well. While there are some who are warming up to the idea of her being queen, there will always be those with long memories. I agree that this is a lot to undertake at this stage of life.
Delete@Anon 07:59
DeleteInteresting to read your comments.
I am not a Camilla fan but I do feel for the woman regarding the hard working role she has taken on. A role which it appears she did not want.
A lot of women go on paid retirement leave at or about the age of 60.
Camilla is in her mid 70’s and needs the energy and good health of a woman half her age to carry out her demanding job to all and sundry.
In a recent YouGov poll (Aug. 2023) she was voted 9th in line with the popularity ranking amongst members of the BRF. Almost 50% of the British population still don’t give her a positive vote.
I wish Camilla good health, strength and happiness as Queen.
So, now, to get back on target I’ll do some feasting on that superb coronation gown which she wore to the recent opening of parliment.
Popularity ratings via .......
https://yougov.co.uk/ratings/politics/popularity/royalty/all
Love the whole Opening of Parliament. The Tiara looks lovely on Camillas head. The necklace is wow, so nice to see the Coronation gown again. Must say the Q look stunning. Charles has enough hardware on his chest, to make him walk bend over. Great look for both. I also like to wish K Charles a very happy 75th Birthday Nov14th. css
ReplyDeleteLove to see the tradition continue! They both look lovely but I’m blinded by the gigantic diamond necklace…yowza! I’m also sidetracked by the huge number of things decorating the King…it must take ages to put it all on!
ReplyDeleteQueen Camilla brought out all of the big guns when selecting her jewels. They made a lovely statement!
ReplyDeleteBruce Oldfield, the designer of Camilla’s coronation gown, must be happy to see his masterpieces moving into the re-usable, sustainable fashion category which is becoming “fashionable” with royal ladies.
ReplyDeleteAt 73 years of age, he is currently celebrating his 50 years of work in the British fashion industry and is said to be now concentrating on slow fashion and ceremonial pieces.
He received an OBE in 1990 (Order of the British Empire) for services to the fashion industry.
If you are interested, there is an interesting article in FASHION UNFILTERED magazine (Jan.2022) on his rags to riches life which started as a black, illegitimate and unwanted baby who became a celebrated British fashion designer and went on to work for princesses, queens, top international names and celebrities.
https://fashionunfiltered.com/news/2022/exclusive-at-home-with-bruce-oldfield/
Camilla in Picture 9 is exactly who Camilla is.
ReplyDeleteThere is a photo on the net showing King Charles delivering his speech. Whilst he is speaking, Camilla is looking down and checking out her manicure. Just a simple case of "bad luck", a photo taken at the wrong moment.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, a lot of people make a lot of noise about it.
Why is her hair gray?
ReplyDeletePost a Comment
(We will not publish anonymous comments that were posted without stating a name or nickname)