King Charles and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, have just released some new photos ahead of the coronation next week – and they’ve got a few historical nods hidden within them.
The three new images, all taken in March at Buckingham Palace and snapped by photographer Hugo Burnand, show the couple in a particularly stately-looking room called the Blue Drawing Room.
So, what’s the big deal?
Well, it seems there are a few hidden symbols in the images which suggest Charles is drawing on the past that comes with his new hereditary role.
In his image, the monarch is sat in a rare chair (one of a suite of 12) which dates back to 1828. It was supplied to King George IV for the furnishing of Windsor Castle who reigned between 1820 and 1830 – making it fancy and particularly old.
The monarch is also sitting in front of a State Portrait of King George V, which was painted after his own coronation. As Charles’s great-grandfather who reigns between 1910 and 1936, the parallels won’t have been lost on the monarch as he took to the throne more than a century later.
George V is also wearing Naval uniform with his Robe of State, or parliamentary Robe. Perhaps that’s a nod to how Charles is expected to don his own Admiral of the Fleet uniform for his coronation, bucking the trend for male monarchs to wear stockings breeches.
Charles, meanwhile, looks pretty relaxed in the image, smiling casually and looking straight at the camera.
There were two more royal hints in Camilla’s photo as well. She adopted a very similar pose to her husband in her image, but swapped out the chair.
This upholstery has a rich history too, dating back to 1812. According to the Palace, it was probably commissioned by King George IV when he was Prince of Wales – the very same title Charles held for more than 70 years. One of a set of just two, this furniture has only been in the Blue Drawing Room since at least the early 20th Century.
Also sitting in front of George V’s portrait, the Queen Consort was wearing a blue – royal blue, might we add – crepe coat dress, and pearl drop earrings set with a sapphire and ruby which used to belong to the late Queen, but a pearl necklace from her own collection.
This is perhaps a gentle nod to her mother-in-law, who died in September.