King Charles and Queen Camilla Host Garden Party Ahead of Coronation

Publish date: 2024-05-15

King Charles III and Queen Camilla held a celebration today ahead of their major celebration—which is just a few days away.

The senior royals threw an elegant garden party at Buckingham Palace to mark their upcoming coronation. Thousands of guests—including Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie—were in attendance. Also there was Lionel Richie, who will headline the Coronation Concert along with Katy Perry.

The garden party may be the first of King Charles's reign, but such gatherings have been hosted at Buckingham Palace, for different occasions, since the 1860s.

britains king charles iii meets with guests during the garden party at buckingham palace, in london, on may 3, 2023 to celebrate his and his wife britains camilla, queen consort coronation ceremony as king and queen of the united kingdom and commonwealth realm nations, on may 6, 2023 photo by yui mok pool afp photo by yui mokpoolafp via getty images

YUI MOK//Getty Images

For the event, King Charles looked sharp in a light gray vest over a white collared shirt and cornflower blue polka dot tie. He styled it with dark gray pinstripe pants, a black coat, shiny black dress shoes, and a matching top hat.

Camilla, Queen Consort, wore a blue-and-white dress by Bruce Oldfield with a matching Philip Treacy hat, navy suede pumps, black leather gloves, a layered pearl necklace, and pearl-drop earrings.

britains king charles iii and britains camilla, queen consort arrive to meet the guests attending the garden party at buckingham palace, in london, on may 3, 2023 to celebrate their coronation ceremony as king and queen of the united kingdom and commonwealth realm nations, on may 6, 2023 photo by yui mok pool afp photo by yui mokpoolafp via getty images

YUI MOK//Getty Images

King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation will take place this coming Saturday, May 6, at 11 a.m. London time (6 a.m. EST). The ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, the site of British coronations since 1066. The church has hosted 38 coronation services thus far, including Queen Elizabeth II's in 1953.

london, england may 03 king charles iii speaks with lionel richie and lisa parigi during the garden party at buckingham palace ahead of the coronation of the king charles iii and the queen consort at buckingham palace, on may 3, 2023 in london, england photo by yui mok wpa poolgetty images

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There will also be two further days of coronation festivities: a Coronation Big Lunch and Coronation Concert on Sunday, May 7, and a nationwide volunteering event called The Big Help Out on Monday, May 8.

britains king charles iii l and britains camilla, queen consort 2nd l arrive to meet the guests attending the garden party at buckingham palace, in london, on may 3, 2023 to celebrate their coronation ceremony as king and queen of the united kingdom and commonwealth realm nations, on may 6, 2023 photo by yui mok pool afp photo by yui mokpoolafp via getty images

YUI MOK//Getty Images

Learn how you can watch the coronation here.

Lettermark

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets. 

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