Latest News & Blog 2023

No fewer than three crowns will be used at the coronation: the St. Edward's Crown, the Imperial State Crown and, for Camilla's coronation, the Queen Mary's Crown. King Charles will be crowned with the St Edward's Crown. On leaving Westminster Abbey, during the Coronation Proccession in the Gold State Coach and on the balcony of Buckingham Palace he wears the Imperial State Crown. The Coronation will be a spectacular and glorious event - traditional and very British. This is how the coronation of a new monarch is celebrated in Britain. Like many people in the UK and around the world, we will be watching the event and celebrating the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla.

St Edward's Crown

Imperial State Crown

Queen Mary's Crown

A new photograph of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort, taken last month in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, released last Tuesday 4 April. The photograph was taken by Hugo Burnand.

Source Photos & Text:  The Royal Family/Buckingham Palace

Alongside the photograph, Buckingham Palace is pleased to share the invitation for the Coronation, which will be issued in due course to over 2,000 guests who will form the congregation in Westminster Abbey. It is also announced that eight Pages of Honour have been chosen to attend Their Majesties during the Coronation Service.
The invitation for the Coronation has been designed by Andrew Jamieson, a heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator whose work is inspired by the chivalric themes of Arthurian legend. Mr Jamieson is a Brother of the Art Workers’ Guild, of which The King is an Honorary Member.
The original artwork for the invitation was hand-painted in watercolour and gouache, and the design will be reproduced and printed on recycled card, with gold foil detailing. Central to the design is the motif of the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign. The shape of the Green Man, crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.

If you are invited to a Royal dinner or even if you have a royal visitor, the following codes of etiquette are highly recommended. These etiquette protocols should be followed at Royal dinners, but they can also be applied to fine dining. Here are the most important etiquette rules of Royal Dinners:

1. We start with the napkins
We cannot just throw our napkins anywhere on the table as we please. Members of the royal family place their napkins on their laps just after they have been seated, and fold them in half so that the fold faces away from them. When they have finished eating, the napkin is placed in a neat pile on the left side of the place setting. We believe that we should all follow this no matter where we eat.

2. Take care to follow the cues of the King
No one should start their meal before the King starts eating, and everyone should finish their meal as soon as the King has finished his. This is a formal courtesy to the King.

3. How to hold the cutlery correctly
This is no surprise, as almost all of us know this rule. Traditionally, cutlery is held with the knife in the right hand and the fork in the left, a rule that dates back to when men carried their swords and daggers in their right hands.

4. Avoid noise when using the eating utensil
One must eat one's meal properly without making noise with cutlery, plates or glasses. In Western formal dining culture, we don't want noise, whether it's unpleasant chewing sounds or the scraping of a fork and knife on an almost empty plate.

5. How to signal that you are finished eating
When a member of the royal family has finished eating, they put their cutlery together. The correct procedure is to treat the cutlery like needles on a clock and place it on the plate at 6:30, with the tines of the fork pointing upwards. Read more about this here.

6. Chatter with right and left table neighbours
Once you’re seated for a formal meal, you should only direct your conversation to the people directly to your left or your right. You should not attempt to conduct chatter with the person opposite you.
With regard to the conversation itself, you need to balance it with both questions and answers to ensure the discussion flows. Try not to give single word answers, but instead expand your answers a little to make them interesting. Though don’t hog all the chat for yourself!

7. Always drink tea from the same place
It is important to always drink tea from the same spot you started. Royals can't turn their cups upside down when drinking, especially if they're wearing lipstick. This is to help avoid lipstick stains on the rim of the cup.

8. How to hold the cup properly
And yes, there is also a specific way you should hold your teacup. Members of the royal family usually hold the teacup in such a way that they pinch their thumb and forefinger between the handle and rest their other fingers against the shape of the handle.

9. Dress appropriate for the occasion
Deciding on the right attire is never easy, but there are certain standards that must be adhered to at a royal dinner. Remember that it is less about fashion and more about elegance. For formal occasions, ladies should ensure that their shoulders are covered and their dress is floor-length. They should also wear their hair up.
Gentlemen should put on their black woollen tails and complement them with a wing-collar shirt and a white bow tie.

10. A polite word on posture
Posture at royal events is very important. Women must ensure that their knees and feet are together when seated and they should not cross their legs, although it is permitted to bend the legs. Men, on the other hand, should sit slightly forward in their chair to ensure that they sit with a straight back.

11. Do not chew the cud
And of course, the way you eat your food is also very important. If you are eating at a formal occasion, prepare a bite that only needs to be chewed four or five times before you swallow it. This will ensure that your conversation partner never has to wait more than a few seconds to hear what you have to say. Because, of course, you should never speak with your mouth full!

12. Eating with your fingers
If finger food is offered, e.g. a roll, you should hold your food with three fingers. And remember: don't cut your roll in half, but break it into bite-sized pieces - one at a time as you eat your roll - and coat each piece individually before putting it in your mouth.

That way everything should go well!

Somerset county council coat of arms - The red dragon holds a mace.

Baron of North Cadbury's family crest - The red dragon (wyvern) with pierced throat through a lance