On 6 May, London ground to a halt as crowds thronged around Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, while an audience of billions around the world watched online. Aged 74,
Charles had waited a lifetime for this day – and what an occasion it was, full of archaic rituals
and opulent trappings, but also intensely personal moments. It fittingly symbolised the new era that had begun eight months earlier, with the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, our longest- reigning monarch.
It was a touching moment when Prince William kissed his father tenderly on the cheek, having just sworn allegiance to him. Charles mouthed a silent, ‘Thank you,’ in response.
Kate, Princess of Wales, wowed with her flower crown – a stunning creation of silver bullion and crystals by Alexander McQueen in collaboration with the royal milliner Jess Collett.
It was the moment the crowds had been waiting for – as King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped on to the balcony at Buckingham Palace and gave a royal wave. It was the moment the crowds had been waiting for – as King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped on to the balcony at Buckingham Palace and gave a royal wave.
…But the Coronation had a surprise star
You look fabulous,’ was King Charles’s parting compliment to Penny Mordauntas he exited Westminster Abbey on 6 May, the day of his coronation. In her gold- embroidered, deep blue dress, designed by Safiyaa, the Conservative MP had already been thrust into the limelight online – images of her immediately went viral and headlines were dominated by talk of her performing her coronation duties.
As Leader of the House of Commons, Mordaunt is the first woman to hold the role of Lord President of the Council (which convenes to formally announce the death of a monarch and proclaim the succession of the new sovereign). She always knew she would have a part in the coronation then, but it was only two weeks prior that she was given the full picture of her centre-stage role.
It involved first holding up the Sword of State, which represents the King’s authority, and then the jewelled Sword of Offering, made in 1820 for George IV, which she presented to the King after it was blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Talk quickly turned to how heavy the swords were (the heavier Sword of State weighs 3.6kg) and how Mordaunt managed to hold them in position for the 51-minute duration. ‘I was in the Navy for 10 years, so I’m quite used to standing for long periods of time doing drill practice or parades,’ Mordaunt laughs. ‘But doing it in heels while standing on a beautiful but very uneven, medieval floor, I kept having to slightly adjust my feet to keep them comfy.’
Adrenaline carried her through, she says. ‘I wasn’t even thinking about my sore feet, it was just so wonderful to be part of... I wasn’t at all intimidated, as although it might appear on TV as this glamorous spectacle, it was just heartfelt and brilliant. It was an amazing juxtaposition really because, in the Abbey, while you’re surrounded by all of this incredible splendour, those in the congregation were just very down-to-earth people that I’ve known for a long time. People who work for charities or in public life, people from the armed forces – all there representing different parts of our nation and different elements of service.’
Her favourite parts included watching the more personal moments, like Prince William swearing allegiance to his father, up close. ‘The most important thing for me was that the King could be in that spiritual moment, as it was a deeply spiritual experience for him. I wanted him to be confident enough about everything going on around him that he wouldn’t worry and just be in the moment, and he was.’
Mordaunt was grateful for his nod of approval on her outfit too, as it was quite the departure from tradition. ‘My predecessor would have worn the court dress of the Privy Council, which is a black set of coat-tails designed for a man, embroidered with the motif of the Privy Council,’ she explains. ‘You’ll see this uniform in any period drama, but I just felt it wasn’t the right thing. It’s not that I couldn’t carry it off as a woman, but it felt artificial, like a costume. So, I thought, “If I’m the first woman, I’m going to wear something designed for a woman.”’
The dress she chose was a wedding gown design originally, but she asked Safiyaa to make it in a deep blue. ‘They gave me extra fabric, which I gave to Jane Taylor [who makes luxury headwear] to make the hat, and then I went to the atelier Hand & Lock with the dress design and motif of the Privy Council; they feminised the motif and embroidered it on to the dress and hat,’ Mordaunt says. Funnily enough, no one actually asked her what she was going to wear until the day before, and she didn’t have a back-up if it wasn’t approved.
It wasn’t until after the ceremony that she saw the reaction online, which she admits was ‘slightly embarrassing but very lovely’. The impact she didn’t foresee, though, was how much it would mean to other women and young girls to see female representation in such a pivotal role at the coronation.
‘I was sent hundreds of drawings from little girls of me in my dress holding the sword, and pictures of girls going as me to fancy dress parties,’ Mordaunt recalls. ‘Being in public life, you know that being a woman in certain roles is important, especially roles some might not necessarily associate with women, like when I became the first female Defence Secretary. But sometimes it’s the power of an image that really captures the imagination of people and raises aspirations and opportunities for women. So that was something I didn’t set out to do but I’m very proud of.’