King Charles III to reuse coronation vestments worn by Queen Elizabeth II, other monarchs for ‘sustainability’
By Dan Clarendon, New York Daily News
King Charles III is taking a “reduce, reuse, recycle” approach to his coronation. For his crowning moment on Saturday, Charles will wear vestments that his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, wore for her 1953 coronation.
Buckingham Palace announced the sartorial selection in a press release on Monday, noting that Charles will also wear vestments from the coronations of King George IV in 1821, King George V in 1911, and King George VI in 1937.
The reused vestments include the Colobium Sindonis, the Supertunica, the Imperial Mantle, the Coronation Sword Belt and the Coronation Glove.
“Although it is customary for the Supertunica and the Imperial Mantle to be reused, His Majesty will also reuse the Colobium Sindonis, Coronation Sword Belt and Coronation Glove worn by his grandfather King George VI, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” the palace added.
Charles will wear the vestments as he is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Coronation Chair during Saturday’s Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey.
In another green move, Camilla, the queen consort, will wear the historic Queen Mary’s Crown at the coronation, marking “the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the Coronation of a Consort instead of a new commission being made, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” as Buckingham Palace previously explained.
That crown was commissioned for Queen Mary and King George V’s 1911 coronation. For Camila’s big moment on Saturday, it will be adorned with the Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds from Elizabeth’s personal jewelry collection.
With Charles’ focus on sustainability and climate change, experts are hailing the 74-year-old as the U.K.’s first “climate king.”
“He’s used his position to raise awareness — not just in the U.K. but around the world,” Bob Ward, policy and communications director at The London School of Economics and Political Science’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, told ABC News. “He has, for a long, long time, probably earlier than many politicians, understood the importance of this issue.”