Queen Elizabeth II would bath Charles whilst wearing her heavy Imperial State Crown to practice for her coronation – as King admits to feeling ‘slightly anxious’ about the weight of his own

The king remembers how his late mother wore her heavy imperial state crown to bathe him and his sister, Princess Anne, at night as she practiced for her coronation in 1953.

And he admits he felt ‘somewhat apprehensive’ about his own weight and whether it would ‘wobble’ when he walked through Westminster Abbey last year.

The candid memories came when he met a group of notable Canadian women who had been hand-picked to attend Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.

Last year, twelve of them returned to Britain to retrace their steps – despite their average age now being 89 – and were shocked when they were invited to Buckingham Palace, where Charles made a surprise appearance.

A gripping new film, Coronation Girls, follows their story from the 1950s to the present day and how the experience has shaped part of their lives forever.

In the summer of 1953, 50 young women from across Canada were sponsored by Canadian businessman and philanthropist Garfield Weston to travel to Great Britain.

The group, who were around seventeen years old and in many cases had not even left their hometown, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with the Empress of France to reach Liverpool, where they boarded a train to London for the historic event.

The women describe their journey as ‘life-changing’ and ‘magical’ and vividly remember the moment the new queen passed them in the golden state carriage during the procession.

“The crowd was so joyful and so loud that the marching bands were drowned out,” said one.

At the time, the late queen was about nine years older than the girls, which some say made them feel a special bond with the new monarch.

Of the fifty women who came to Britain for the first time, sixteen have now died.

In June 2022, the remaining group wrote a letter to the then 96-year-old Queen asking if they could have tea with her when they came to Britain. Sadly, she died four months later, before their dream could ever become a reality.

But the trip continued in December 2023, when they met her son, now King.

In the 90-minute documentary, King Charles tells the women that he could remember “quite a lot” about his mother’s coronation, despite being only four years old at the time.

He said: ‘My grandmother explained things to me while I was there.

‘I can remember a lot, yes, especially what I was wearing and what the hairdresser did to me earlier.’

Beaming as he is introduced to each of the women, including climate activist and author Yvonne Harris and former adoption worker Carol Bowyer Shipley, he jokes about the practicalities of wearing the crown.

He said: ‘I remember it all so well because I remember my sister and I taking a bath at night.

‘My mother came up during bath time with the crown on to practice. You have to get used to how heavy it is. I’ve never forgotten it, I can still remember it vividly.’

He added: ‘It’s very important to wear it for a certain amount of time because then you get used to it.

“But the great one with which you are crowned, the St. Edward’s Crown, weighs five pounds.

‘He’s a lot heavier and bigger, so you always feel a little anxious, in case he wobbles.

“You have to carry it, you have to look straight ahead.”

The king said he was “so glad he had the chance to see you.”

“I didn’t realize you were coming all those years ago,” he said. ‘It is a great joy to meet you all, after all these years. Take care, bless you.”

When told to return quickly, the king laughed, “Yes, if I am still alive!”

It was, sources insist, just a joke by the king, who did not realize that he would be diagnosed with cancer just over a month later.

Mrs Bowyer Shipley said of the meeting, which left some of them in tears: ‘It’s as surreal as the election in 1953. He really connected with us. There was humor and grace and we chuckled a little, as if he were a friend.”

The King and Queen received the film to watch. His Majesty had to cancel his plans to visit Canada this year due to his cancer diagnosis, but hopes to visit the country “in the not too distant future.”

A royal aide said: ‘It really is a beautifully lyrical piece of filmmaking. It is not a royal documentary, but it is incredible, deeply moving and life-affirming, highlighting both the enduring friendship between both the women and Canada and Britain, and how the royal family can strengthen those bonds,” he said.

The documentary, by Canadian filmmaker Douglas Arrowsmith, will air in Canada on Boxing Day and be released internationally next year