DURING Britain's King Charles III's Coronation this weekend, many would have noticed a large number of the ladies wore white.
From Queen Camila and her companions, to Kate Middleton and her daughter Princess Charlotte, they all sported varying shades of ivory.
For the official portrait, all the women wore white except for Princess Anne, who opted for her military uniform, reported the Daily Mail.
What is the significance of this colour for the royals? The late Queen Elizabeth II also wore white for her coronation 70 years ago.
In 1838, Queen Victoria wore a white dress underneath a golden cloak for her coronation and made it the fashion when she wore white to her wedding.
According to fashion stylist Miranda Holder, white is associated with “purity and divinity” making it “classic colour psychology”.
“The Queen and her maids of honour would wear white ‘court dresses’ to symbolise the purity and divinity of the Monarch – who was, after all, believed to be appointed by God,” she told Hello magazine.
Queen Camila wore a Bruce Oldfield couture gown for the Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Her companions, sister Annebel Eliot and friend The Marchioness of Lansdowne, wore long ivory dresses by Fiona Clare.
The Marchioness's dress has silver edging, while Eliot's features a standing collar and hand-embroidered detail.
Middleton wore an Alexander McQueen dress in ivory. The Princess of Wales's dress is a silk crepe gown, featuring silver bullion and embroidery detailing the four nations. It includes the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.
Both she and Charlotte opted for flower crowns instead of tiaras. Their headpieces were by Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen made with silver bullion, crystal and silver thread work.
Other royals who donned white were Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh – in a white Suzannah couture gown with a Jane Taylor headpiece and Royal Victorian Order Mantle – and the Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Alexandra.
After the crowning and anointing, Camilla and the King wore the Robes of State.
As a champion of sustainable fashion, Charles put on the same Robe of State worn by his grandfather King George VI for his Coronation in 1937, which boasts a 15ft train.
Camila, too, recycled an old garment, wearing a robe first made for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and resized for the ceremony.
The velvet on both robes has been restored by the Royal School of Needlework and the lining and gold lace by Ede & Ravenscroft.
Meanwhile, Prince George has created coronation fashion history. The nine-year-old managed to get his grandfather King Charles to change the centuries-old uniforms worn by pages of honour.
As one of four pages, he was apparently up in arms over the dress code of white knee breeches.
For the uninitiated, these are decidedly old-fashioned trousers worn by men in the past that are fastened at the knee.
As revealed by a courtier: “He also wasn't keen on wearing tights and becoming a subject of ribaldry at school.”
King Charles then agreed and allowed Prince George to wear trousers, upending tradition. Charles himself took the liberty to replace his own breeches with naval trousers.
But to the consternation of his tailor, he wore the buckled court shoes meant for the tights and wrinkled his trews. – The Vibes, May 9, 2023
