King Charles + Queen Camilla
Coronation invitation card features amazing symbols
King Charles and Queen Camilla
© Hugo Burnand/ Buckingham Palace
On May 6, 2023, King Charles will be crowned in Westminster Abbey. Around 2000 high-ranking guests will witness the historic event. Meanwhile, the chosen ones have received mail from Buckingham Palace. The coveted invitation is finally on her table – and poses one or two puzzles.
When designing the invitation card for his coronation, King Charles, 74, leaves no doubt about the ambitions he has pursued for decades. The monarch and Queen Camilla, 75, are passionate about conservation. Her elaborate writing to family members, royalty and government envoys depicts flora and fauna. A cheerful, colorful icon symbolizing a breath of fresh air in royalty.
King Charles and Queen Camilla focus on nature symbolism
Exactly one month before the coronation, Buckingham Palace revealed the secret of the invitation to the historic event. Together with a new official photo of the royal couple, the coveted card was also made visible to those who were not invited on the Royal Family’s website and social media channels. A feast for the eyes, if you can call it that, because the depicted animals, plants and symbols appear in an unexpected riot of colour.
The imaginative work of art with a highly official function was designed by Andrew Jamieson. The heraldic artist and illustrator is part of the Art Workers’ Guild, of which King Charles is an honorary member. According to Buckingham Palace, the original was hand-painted using watercolors and gouache. The reproduction is printed on recycled card stock with gold foil detailing.
The motif of the “Green Man”, whom the palace presents as an “old figure from British folklore”, immediately catches the eye. It is the symbol of spring and rebirth and thus reflects the new beginning of the British monarchy. The impressive figure is crowned with various foliage on the paper: oak leaves, ivy and hawthorn, decorated with the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom. In any case, the artistic preparation resembles a detailed search image. “Their Majesties Coat of Arms, the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom, as well as a British wildflower meadow and wildlife are all featured on the design,” it says in summary.
Crests, unicorns and other imaginative surprises
The inspiration for the delicate painting around the edge of the card provided the artist with a typical British flower meadow: “Lily of the valley, cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, bluebells and a sprig of rosemary as a souvenir, along with wildlife such as a bee, butterfly, ladybird, wren and robin . Flowers appear in groups of three, signifying that the king will become the third monarch to his name,” the palace said on the Royal Family website. Among the flowers are a lion, a unicorn and a boar. Animals featured in the coats of arms of the monarch and the Queen’s father, Major Bruce Shand, †89.
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In their special invitation, Charles and Camilla have combined everything that is valuable to them: family, tradition and nature. Happy the person who was allowed to receive them. Not only will she be part of an extraordinary life event, she will also be able to call a strictly limited work of art her own.
Source used: royal.uk, instagram.com