Royal Family unveils sneak peek of King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s coronation robes

With the coronation of King Charles III only days away, the Royal Family has released new photographs giving a glimpse at the ceremonial robes that will be worn by the King and Queen Consort at the historical event.

The coronation robes set to be worn by the pair feature intricate embroidery. Three of the robes have been worn by previous monarchs, while a new robe made for the Queen Consort features images of bees, flowers and a personal nod to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

New images released Saturday show the Royal School of Needlework’s embroidery team working on two of the robes: the King’s Robe of State, and the Queen Consort’s Robe of Estate.

The Robes of State are to be worn by King Charles III and the Queen Consort as they approach Westminister Abbey on May 6.

The Robes of Estate are worn following the crowning, as they depart Westminister Abbey, and traditionally have more personal elements to their designs.

King Charles III’s two robes have a long history, both having been worn previously by King George VI at his coronation in 1937. The Robe of State is a long, red velvet robe, edged with gold lacing, which has been conserved and prepared ahead of the coronation.

His Robe of Estate is purple silk velvet, with gold embroidery.

The Queen Consort will be wearing a red velvet Robe of State made originally for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

But a brand new robe has been made for Camilla for this occasion to serve as her Robe of Estate. Designed and hand embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework and made by Ede and Ravenscoft, it is a purple velvet to match King Charles III’s Robe of Estate.

The standout design element, however, is the gold embroidery, depicting numerous flowers and plants. A photo of a member of the Royal School of Needlework hard at work on the new Robe of Estate shows a myriad of flowers, including cornflower, Lady’s Mantle and maidenhair fern.

Some of the flowers found on the robe have distinct personal meanings. Lily of the valley was a favourite flower of Queen Elizabeth II, while delphinium is one of the King’s favourite flowers and also the flower of the month of July, the Queen Consort’s birthday month.

There will also be depictions of insects including bees and beetles, which is a first for a coronation robe, according to the Royal Family, “drawing on the themes of nature and the environment and reflecting Their Majesties’ affection for the natural world.”

The robe will include Her Majesty’s royal cypher as well — a symbol incorporating the initials “C” for her first name, and “R” for the latin word “regina,” meaning Queen, along with a crown symbol.

Ede and Ravenscroft, London-based robe maker and the city’s oldest tailor, has been tailoring and creating robes for more than three centuries. The company has created the garments for every royal coronation since 1689.

The Royal School of Needlework has worked at conserving robes and creating new designs for coronation robes numerous times in the past, including the Robes of Estate for Queen Elizabeth in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.