King Charles III may have looked cool, calm and collected on the day of his coronation, a day he had waited for his whole life, but it turns out the monarch is just like the rest of us, and does suffer with nerves.
He has admitted that he felt “slightly anxious” about wearing his crown on 6 May 2023 because of its incredible weight.
“The big one that you’re crowned with, the St Edward’s Crown, it weighs five pounds.
“It is much heavier and taller, so there’s always that feeling of feeling slightly anxious, in case it wobbles,” he said.
The world watched on as the Archbishop of Canterbury placed the crown on Charles’ head as he sat in the same 700-year-old chair his mother sat in for her own coronation.
The FeltFilm documentary, Coronation Girls, follows the story of 50 young women from across Canada who were sponsored by a Canadian businessman to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Amazingly 12 of those women then met King Charles as they came to London to retrace their iconic steps.
© Anwar HusseinWhile speaking to the ladies in the show, Charles explained his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, had to practice wearing it ahead of her own coronation and used to come and do bath time with it on her head!
© Fox PhotosHe said: “I remember it all so well then, because I remember my sister and I had bath time in the evening. My mama used to come up at bath time wearing the crown to practice. You have to get used to how heavy it is. I’ve never forgotten, I can still remember it vividly. It is very important to wear it for a certain amount of time, because you get used to it,”
Charles’ mother was adored the world over, and well known for her poised composure no matter the situation. However, behind closed doors, she was happy to get stuck into her motherly and then grandmotherly roles. Tales from her summers at Balmoral revealed she managed to live a simple life away from the gravitas of her role.
© GettyFormer butler Paul Burrell spoke about his time with the late Queen on Vicky Pattison’s The Secret podcast, revealing the surprising household chore that she often helped out with!
“She does like to go on picnics, but the food is all prepared,” he said. “She likes to wash up. She puts on the Marigolds and when she goes out to the log cabin at Balmoral, she is stood there with her Marigolds on and she washes up and the lady-in-waiting dries.”
© Keystone, GettyTony Blair, former Prime Minister also echoed this account when he revealed he’d seen her washing up with his own eyes when he and his wife Cherie were invited to stay at Balmoral. “You think I’m joking, but I’m not. They put the gloves on and stick their hands in the sink. The Queen asks if you’ve finished, she stacks the plates up and goes off to the sink.”