From the King and Queen of Spain to Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, King Charles III’s Coronation guest list glitters with foreign royals
Foreign kings and queens, princess and princesses are poised to bring their regal glamour to Westminster Abbey as they attend the Coronation of King Charles III. In a break with royal tradition, King Charles has added crowned royals to the Coronation guest list, paving the way for a spectacular parade of some of the world’s most glamorous monarchs.
‘For centuries, convention dictated that no other crowned Royals should be present at the Coronation of a British monarch because the sacred ceremony is intended to be an intimate exchange between the monarch and their people in the presence of God,’ explained the Mail On Sunday. ‘But as part of his plan to bring the ceremony up to date, King Charles has decided to move on from the 900-year-old tradition by inviting his crowned friends, including European royals and rulers from Arab states.’
A total of 2,000 people have been invited to witness the crowning of King Charles and Queen Camilla, in a dramatic reduction from the roughly 8,000 who attended the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. World leaders, British politicians and charity champions will join members of the British Royal Family including the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. According to latest reports, however, certain members of the aristocracy are destined to be disappointed.
The first foreign royal to confirm his attendance was Prince Albert II of Monaco, who will be joined by his wife, Princess Charlene. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain will also be in attendance, while King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will be joined by his daughter, Crown Princess Victoria. Also involving the next generation are King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who will bring their daughter and heir Princess Catharina-Amalia to the reception on the eve of the Coronation.
Sadly, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who recently underwent ‘extensive’ back surgery, will be represented by her son and daughter-in-law, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. The King and Queen of Norway will be represented by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Emperor Naruhito of Japan is also sending a representative: his brother, Crown Prince Fumihito.
But who else can royal watchers expect to see arriving at Westminster Abbey on 6 May? Here, based on the royals who received an invitation to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Tatler pulls together a suggested coronation guest list. It includes reigning rulers, heads of former royal houses, as well as monarchs who also happen to be friends — and, on occasion, distant relatives — of the King.
Confirmed: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands have confirmed they will attend the Coronation. They will be joined by their daughter Princess Catharina-Amalia and Willem-Alexander’s mother Princess Beatrix at the reception on 5 May.
Confirmed: Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will be represented by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. It will be the second visit to the UK in recent months. They were hosted by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace in March.
Confirmed: Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand-Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
The Luxembourg royal family (officially known as the Grand Ducal Family) has plenty to celebrate this spring. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume has become a father for a second time, weeks before the royal wedding of his sister, Princess Alexandra (one of the most anticipated nuptials of 2023) on 22 April. Their parents, Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand-Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, will attend the coronation in May.
Confirmed: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
The King and Queen of Belgium enjoy a close relationship with King Charles III and the British Royal Family. Their eldest daughter, Princess Elisabeth, is a History and Politics student at Oxford University.
Confirmed: Queen Anne-Marie, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
Following the loss of her husband, the former King Constantine II of Greece, Queen Anne-Marie will attend the coronation of his distant cousin, King Charles III. She will be accompanied by her son and daughter-in-law, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal.
Confirmed: King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
The Spanish king has a close relationship with his distant cousin, King Charles III.
Confirmed: Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Prince Mary of Denmark
Currently recovering from ‘extensive’ back surgery, Queen Margrethe II would have been hoping to be well enough to attend the coronation of her distant relative. However, she will instead be represented by her eldest son and heir, Crown Prince Frederik, and his Australian-born wife, Crown Princess Mary.
Confirmed: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
King Carl XVI Gustaf, who celebrates his Golden Jubilee this year, is recovering from heart surgery but is planning to travel to London for the coronation. He will be joined by his daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, rather than his wife, Queen Silvia (pictured).
Confirmed: Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan
Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan will represent Emperor Naruhito at the coronation, it has been confirmed. They will stay at Claridge’s.
Confirmed: Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco
Prince Albert became the first foreign royal to confirm his attendance at King Charles III’s coronation. He is expected to attend with his elegant wife, Princess Charlene.
Confirmed: Māori King Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII and Queen Te Atawhai
The Māori king and queen will form part of the New Zealand delegation at the funeral. Pictured, with the King and Queen Consort in 2015.
Confirmed: Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia
Crown Prince Alexander is head of the House of Karađorđević, the former royal house of the defunct Kingdom of Yugoslavia and its predecessor the Kingdom of Serbia.
Confirmed: Margareta of Romania
With the official title of the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Margareta is representing the former monarchy with her husband Prince Radu. Her claim to the throne is not recognised by the Romanian parliament.
King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan
The royal couple, who are planning the weddings of two of their children this year, spoke movingly of their admiration for the Queen on her death.
The King and Queen of Bhutan
The Dragon King and his wife, who has been dubbed the ‘Kate Middleton of the Himalayas’, made a rare foreign appearance at the Queen’s funeral.
King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain
Both the former king and queen attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral but they did so separately. The scandal surrounding King Juan Carlos makes such public appearances tricky for the Spanish royal family. It remains to be seen how the coronation might be handled.
Crown Prince of Bahrain
Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, pictured in 2009, represented the King of Bahrain at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Sultan of Brunei
The Sultan of Brunei, who recently hosted a lavish wedding for his daughter, attended the Queen’s funeral with his son, Prince Abdul Mateen of Brunei, who has been dubbed the world’s most eligible royal.
The Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein
Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein, pictured, represented the Prince of Liechtenstein at the Queen’s funeral. They could repeat the honour at the coronation.
The Crown Prince of Kuwait
The Crown Prince of Kuwait, pictured, represented the Emir at the Queen’s state funeral.
King Letsie III of Lesotho
King Letsie III of Lesotho, pictured paying his respects as the Queen’s coffin lay in state.
His Majesty the Yang di Pertuan Agong and Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia
The couple would be among those travelling furthest for the event.
The King of Morocco
The King of Morocco, pictured, was represented at the Queen’s funeral by his brother, Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco.
The Sultan of Oman
The Sultan of Oman, pictured with the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, was invited to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
The Emir of Qatar
The Emir of Qatar, pictured with Lionel Messi following the FIFA World Cup 2022 final, was invited to the Queen’s funeral with his first wife and consort.
The King of Tonga
King Tupou VI of Tonga, pictured with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their 2018 royal tour, attended the Queen’s funeral without his wife, Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho, also pictured.
The Hereditary Prince of Baden
The Hereditary Prince of Baden, who takes over as head of the household following the death of his father, the Margravine of Baden, is among the non-reigning royals expected to be invited. Pictured, with his wife, Stephanie.
Former King Simeon II
Another representative of a former monarchy is Bulgaria’s ex-King and former Prime Minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Emir of Dubai
UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Emir of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili.
Source: Tatler.com
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