King Charles shares his surprising regret about the Coronation concert during Buckingham Palace reception held to thank hundreds of people involved in his historic crowning
King Charles has revealed his regrets about his coronation weekend in May: he wishes he had taken his binoculars to the concert at Windsor Castle.
The King and Queen hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace yesterday to thank people involved in both the monarch’s historic coronation and the late Queen’s funeral last year.
After the coronation in Westminster Abbey on May 6, a concert was held the following day in the grounds of Windsor Castle with performances by a host of stars, such as Olly Murs, Lionel Richie, Paloma Faith and Take That.
Neil Walter, who was responsible for parking for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, said the King told him he was sitting so far from the concert stage that he could not see what was happening there.
The official added: ‘He said he wanted to be closer next time – or take his binoculars with him.’
King Charles has revealed his regrets about his coronation weekend in May: he wishes he had taken his binoculars to the concert at Windsor Castle (pictured)
During the concert, the King and Queen sat in the Royal Box together with other members of the Royal Family and VIP guests. It was set up in a tiered stand at the back of the concert site.
But despite his difficulties viewing the stage, the king seemed elated as he attended the event. He was seen waving a Union Jack as the various singers performed.
The King and Queen yesterday invited representatives from across government, the Church of England, the creative arts, volunteers and police involved in the historic day to the Palace.
Others who helped plan and execute Queen Elizabeth’s funeral were also invited and personally thanked by Charles and Camilla at the event attended by the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Broadcaster Clare Balding, who provided the BBC commentary for the coronation processions to and from Westminster, recalled a small error during her presentation at the event.
She said: ‘I managed to say – which is a perfectly acceptable horse expression – that the Princess Royal had mounted very quickly and joined the procession. I didn’t spare an eye for that.
During the concert, the King and Queen sat in the Royal Box together with other members of the Royal Family and VIP guests. It was set up in a tiered stand at the back of the concert site
Take That performs during the Coronation Concert
‘I didn’t even know. When I got home, my partner Alice said, “You seem to have caused a bit of a stir.” But that’s exactly the kind of thing that makes them all laugh.’
The abbey was decorated with flowers from Britain by Mr Connolly, who was the florist for the Queen’s wedding to Charles in 2005 and created the floral displays for the funerals of her father and brother.
He said of the King and Queen’s reaction to the coronation flowers: ‘They loved them and appreciated every single stem and the fact that it was given by British nurseries and British gardeners… I think it meant the world to them.
“And really one of the few things in the abbey that was about them as people was the flowers, so they were incredibly pleased.”
Among the guests was Penny Mordaunt, who as Lord President of the Privy Council generated great interest on social media when she carried the Sword of State at the coronation ceremony.
The King and Queen hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to thank those involved in the planning and execution of the late Queen’s funeral and coronation
Charles and Camilla welcomed those working on the events, titled Operation London Bridge and Operation Golden Orb
The Princess Royal was also in attendance and was happily photographed donning a white dress and black gloves
Asked about the attention her role received, she said: “I think that’s what was so great about the event, you had all this incredible pageantry and you really felt the history and the legacy of it all, but it was a modern service for a modern monarchy.
“And it was wonderful to see so many women, so many different people represented in that procession and I was one of them, and I was just very proud to be there as its first Lord President and the first woman to fill that role.”