King Charles III had his throne but I had a step stool.
The London rain was coming down as I climbed up onto it, making me a head taller than the rest of the massive crowd gathered along Whitehall on Coronation Day. To both my left and right, throngs of people anxiously awaited the first glimpse of the carriage carrying King Charles III to his crowning.
At the first sight of the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, I swayed back, needing to steady myself. It was surreal to be in this moment, on this day. As someone who has written about the royal family for years, on Instagram, in my newsletter as well as a New York Times best-selling book on their influential style, I had always had the coronation in the back of my mind. What would it feel like to witness this ancient ritual, to see a crown put on the head of a king? When HELLO! invited me to join their team for this major moment in royal history, the first in seven decades and only the 40th ever, I said yes enthusiastically.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many Thoughts
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsOn the morning of Saturday, May 6, I awoke before dawn and made my way to the procession route. Stepping out of my hotel in Mayfair, just a few blocks away from the Mall, it was eerily quiet. The streets were blocked off and clusters of crowd control crews in neon vests stood on each corner, with nary a crowd to control. Reports in the weeks preceding suggested apathy among Brits toward the new sovereign and even some anger over his expensive crowning in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Was this stillness a sign of those polls playing out?
As I neared the procession route, the mood changed markedly and the story changed entirely. The buzz built with each block.
By the time I reached Trafalgar Square, there were so many people it was nearly impossible to weave through the crowds. Police officers turned people away from joining the already-packed sidewalks. Street crossings were sparse, sending me on a circuitous route to our HELLO! meeting place.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many Thoughts
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsIt was just after 6:30am when I arrived at the Whitehall flat HELLO! had rented for the day — a godsend complete with WiFi, a bathroom, and a flat screen TV to watch the service. The narrow sidewalk in front was already three rows deep with people who had been waiting for hours along the maze of barricades. Up in the top-floor dwelling, with windows that opened wide to offer a birds-eye view, I changed into the dress I bought specifically for the day by Self Portrait (a British brand worn often by the royals!).
Then it was straight back down to the crowds to get a sense of the mood. From the hints of small talk I caught, people were happily chatting with their neighbors —anything to make the time pass.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsThe first order of business was filming with HELLO! Reporter Isabelle Casey, who could not have been more lovely. Our smiles say it all! Anticipation was high, a sort of frenzied energy that is unique to the royal crowds I’ve waited in — even as the rain persisted. (London showed us the damp, drizzly weather it is known for all morning. But since it rained on both Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 and her father’s in 1937, it felt quite fitting.)
Before too long, we got word that King Charles and Queen Camilla had left Buckingham Palace en route for Westminster Abbey. The on-hand HELLO! team squeezed onto what space remained on the sidewalk to catch a glimpse of the monarch. We heard the procession before we saw it, the unmistakable sound of horse hooves turning the corner. When the coach emerged, surrounded by uniformed guards, it looked like something out of a storybook.
This is it, I thought. The Windsors are delivering on the fairytale. So much of the American fascination with this family — two and a half centuries after we went to great lengths to cut ties with the monarchy — rests on its ability to transport us back to long-ago time.
We were luckily on the same side of the street as Charles, affording me a clear-as-day glimpse of him through the coach’s large window. The king seemed to glow, his face framed by the white fur top of his Robe of State. I remember being surprised at the sight of his bare head — no crown yet! Just his nearly white hair neatly combed into his signature deep side part. I flung my hand up in a very over-the-top American wave, joining the crowds as they fluttered their flags and clapped their hands. It was a brilliant start, as the Brits would say, to witnessing this historic day.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsWe headed back upstairs, and out of the rain, to catch the other arrivals on the television. There I got my first glimpse of Catherine, the Princess of Wales. There had been so much debate about what she would wear on her head: Would it be a tiara? Or a flower crown?
“Of course!” I shouted when I saw her silver bullion and embroidered headpiece, a collaboration between Jess Collett and Alexander McQueen. The two-tiered triangle leaf design was both of those things, and to me is the defining accessory of the coronation (crowns aside, of course). It felt sufficiently formal for this historic occasion without being flashy, walking that fine line of being special but not showy
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsAnd her robe! The speculation about Catherine’s dress was nearly for naught in the end, given that it was hidden under the voluminous red, white, and blue robe the princess wore at the request of Charles and Camilla. The covering gave Catherine, as well as Prince William and Sophie and Edward, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, an almost uniform-like feel as they sat in the front row. The message was clear: They were there to support the sovereign.
At the sight of the three Wales children, I’m quite certain I let out an audible “Aww.” I have watched with fascination as the public presence of this trio grows, and a pang in my heart as a mother of three myself. What an awesome but harrowing moment, to see these three on hand to witness their grandfather’s crowning. Prince George looked dapper in his page boy uniform and mischievous Louis was so handsome in his custom tunic. But Princess Charlotte, with her matching headpiece and braided updo, was my favorite — a vision in her white caped Alexander McQueen, twinning with her mother.
My heart swelled again seeing Prince Harry heading into the Abbey with a smile. I wished desperately that his wife and children were there with him, but I exhaled at the sight of him in good spirits at this charged moment. Later we learned he wore custom Dior, a brand that famously dressed his mother — particularly at the end of her royal tenure and into her life as a divorcee. In a day when there was not much Princess Diana (save for Catherine’s statement pearl and diamond earrings, from Diana’s collection) it felt like a very special touch. Also, for anyone up in arms about the choice of a French fashion house, here’s your reminder that the Dior menswear artistic director Kim Jones is a Brit.
From what the cameras showed, Harry seemed to take being seated in the third row in stride, which couldn’t have been easy. His face was sometimes obscured by the feather in the hat of his aunt, Princess Anne. Speaking of the Princess Royal, she wore trousers for her role in the procession on horseback as the Gold-Stick-in-Waiting, there to protect the monarch.
My best-dressed of the day goes to Queen Camilla. Her gown, by British couturier Bruce Oldfield, felt particularly fitting for her consort role, there to support the sovereign. Along with the all-but-required symbols of the United Kingdom were far more personal touches: wildflowers, delicate bunting, books! Flanking either side of the cypher along the front center hem of the skirt were her two rescue dogs, Bluebell and Beth. And on her robe, designed by the Royal School of Needlework for her departure from the Abbey, a coronation first: embroidered insects, including bees, butterflies, a beetle and a caterpillar.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsAs the coronation service got underway, I stepped away from watching to film with Isabelle again, offering up my first take on these ensembles. The closer I looked, the more exquisite it all was. It was a tall order to make this coronation — something most people had never seen before — appear grand but not indulgent; to read the room on the economic hardships facing Britain at the moment, but deliver on the fairytale promise that draws so many into following the royal family. Together with the 2,000 other invited guests in the Abbey, the Windsors delivered a visual feast of photographs that will fill the pages of history books for decades to come.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsThe person who surprised me the most was the man at the center of it all: King Charles himself. As I was preparing for this day, in an attempt to understand these ancient rituals, I watched Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 crowning. I’ve studied countless pictures, too, enchanted by a 27-year-old woman on the global stage. She looked nervous at times during the service, but held her shoulders back and her chin high. Her eyes felt bright and her expression had a steadfastness that was exciting, inspiring even.
I can’t say the same about her son. The new king, at age 74, looked at turns moved and overwhelmed. Was there a hint of sadness in his eyes? It was as if you could feel the literal weight of the crown — and all its responsibilities — on his shoulders. I hadn’t expected his full-face smile (though he does have a fantastic smile!) but I had thought there would be a little bit more optimism or conviction in this moment. Instead, I was reminded of the turmoil of the last few years and the profound loss of his mother after a history-making reign.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many Thoughts
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsHow should a king look when he is crowned? That question was on my mind as I went back downstairs to catch the procession from the Abbey to the Palace. I wondered if I was bringing too much of my emotive American self to this situation. After all, a coronation is a solemn service between the sovereign and God. Here was a man, who has lived a very public and highly scrutinized life, humbly accepting the duties bestowed upon him. “I come not to be served, but to serve,” he said.
And yet, what is a coronation if not a celebration, the start of a new chapter of a centuries-long story? Returning to my spot on the sidewalk, which was somehow even more packed in the persistent rain, I waited. The display kicking off the king’s procession was impressive in its sound and scale, with marching bands that made your heart beat faster. The striking precision of the troops, the swords glistening in the rain, the towering bearskin hats — nobody does pageantry quite like the Brits.
The anticipation grew with each marching moment, until the sight of the Gold State Coach ignited the cheers. There was the joy I was looking for!
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsThe coach lives up to its name, more gold in real life than is possible to put into words. The crown at the very top emerged as a gleaming beacon from a long-ago era. We were on Camilla’s side of the street for the return procession, giving me a clear look at her and Queen Mary’s Crown. You could see how heavy those 2,000 diamonds were, as the queen slowly, carefully rotated her head and waved to the crowd.
Neither Charles or Camilla seemed to smile much at this moment either, but here I can’t blame them! The Gold State Coach is famously uncomfortable. King William IV said riding in it is like being in a ship “tossing in a rough sea,” while Queen Victoria lamented its “distressing oscillation.” (I went to see it the next morning at the Royal Mews and was blown away by its size; the wheels are nearly as tall as I am.)
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsThen came the Waleses, the five of them tucked into a covered coach just behind the king and queen. The three kids had their backs to the horses, with Louis on one window, Charlotte on the other, and George in the middle. I caught a glimpse of Catherine’s headpiece but it was her daughter who made me wave a little faster. The eight-year-old princess’s eyes danced, scanning down to the crowd on the street and up to the people waving flags out of the windows above. I beamed back at her awe-struck smile, reminding me of the pictures of then-Princess Elizabeth on her father’s coronation day in 1937.
Once we caught our breath, it was back up to the flat once more to catch the balcony appearance on television. One of my favorite photos in my book, HRH, is Elizabeth greeting the crowds on her coronation day with a wide, sincere smile. The king looked more to be soaking it in, with the hint of a smile and emotion in his eyes. I can’t imagine what he was thinking; just seeing the images on television of thousands of people streaming up the mall was staggering. I noticed Getty royal photographer Chris Jackson’s head pop up behind the couple, capturing the moment from a (literal) behind-the-scenes view. The royal family later shared one of them on Instagram, with the couple waving to the sea of people below. It was a visual clapback of those aforementioned polls, as if to say: Apathy? What apathy?
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsThe flypast flew directly over our flat, their streams of red, white, and blue visible through the large skylight en route to Buckingham Palace. I filmed several more videos, including with HELLO!’s royal editor Emily Nash, and toasting with the HELLO! team.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many Thoughts
At the end of the Mall, the still-wet, littered pavement looked a bit like someone had turned the lights on at the end of the party. High atop the impressive Admiralty Arch, a series of royal blue banners spelled out “Happy and glorious,” my three favorite words back when they were sung about Elizabeth in God Save the Queen. Did they apply to Charles now? Or would they at some point in his reign?
After all that, I followed the jets’ lead. I made my way out onto the sidewalks, feeling like I had to swing by “Buck House” for this coronation day to be complete.
© Jarrard Cole for So Many ThoughtsThe Brits I have talked to in the days since the coronation speak about the new king with quite a bit of support and even some sympathy. Nobody envies the position he is in; on the whole, they seem to wish him well. But for Americans and others around the globe who watch every moment, rapt— whether from afar or up-close during visits — the future of this intoxicating, thousand-year-old fairytale remains to be seen.
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