Countless A-listers stepped out in Southwark on Thursday to attend the funeral of the late Dame Vivienne Westwood but King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla were absent from the star-studded list of attendees.
Whilst it has been revealed that Camilla has come down with COVID, King Charles was carrying out a royal engagement in Milton Keynes, which has been awarded city status however, the royals weren't entirely absent from the occasion.
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Their Majesties sent Sir Nicholas Coleridge on their behalf. Sir Nicholas, who is the former editorial director of Condé Nast Britain, has had warm exchanges with the King, acting as Chairman of his Campaign for Wool.
King Charles was in Milton Keynes
He also works closely with Princess Kate, serving as Chairman for the Victoria and Albert Museum - one of her patronages.
It is not unusual for the senior royals to send someone to represent them for memorial services as well as services of thanksgiving.
The special occasion, honouring the late designer, was held at Southwark Cathedral.
Dame Vivienne passed away 29 December last year. In a statement posted on Instagram, her eponymous fashion house explained: "Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London."
A lineup of esteemed British celebrities including Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Helena Bonham Carter and Elle Fanning were among the well-known faces in attendance at her funeral, as well as fashion industry veterans such as Zandra Rhodes, Edward Enniful, Andreas Kronthaler, Suzy Menkes and Bella Freud.
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The designer is one of the most iconic and referenced in history, and the story of how she began her namesake label is steeped in cultural importance. Influenced by acts of rebellion and typical 1950s clothing, music, and memorabilia, a young Vivienne Westwood and her then partner Malcolm McLaren (manager of the Sex Pistols) opened a small boutique called Let it Rock at number 430 Kings Road, Chelsea in London in 1971. She is widely considered the founder of the punk fashion movement.
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