Prince William and Kate Middleton sat in the front row of King Charles II’s Coronation when the new monarch and his wife Queen Camilla were crowned. Together with their three children, they took part in the historic day, which included a fantastic ceremony and meetings with members of the general public.
But as things were returning to normal, William and Kate participated in a second coronation for the king on Wednesday – King Charles’ Scottish “coronation,“ which occurred at the St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. As always, the couple sported stunning clothing and appeared happy to partake in the momentous day. Kate even appeared to do something rather naughty with William – and according to an expert, it isn’t a rare sight.
As we all know, King Charles and Queen Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey in May. However, on Wednesday, July 5, it was time for the royal couple to have their second “coronation” at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Even though they weren’t crowned, the new king was presented with the Honors of Scotland – the crown, scepter, and the sword of state – during the service. The Stone of Destiny, an essential symbol of Scottish identity, was also in the cathedral for the historic celebration.
King Charles’ “second coronation” in Scotland
The Scottish ceremony is commonly called “the second coronation,” but it’s more of a symbolic moment than an official event.
“It’s not a coronation,” George Gross, a coronation expert at King’s College London, told AP. “But it’s very symbolic in that Scotland has its own identity.”
King Charles has been very keen on cementing the ties throughout the United Kingdom since becoming king. Shortly after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away, he traveled throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales before attending her funeral.
At St Giles’ Cathedral, the event was similar to the May coronation, as there were many historic traditions alongside the more multicultural aspects of modern-day Britain. As AP reported, a choir sang a psalm in Gaelic, and passages of the New Testament were read in Scots – honoring the two historical languages of Scotland. Moreover, non-Christian leaders said prayers and offered a message of support to King Charles.
The new monarch was presented with the legendary Crown of Scotland during the ceremony. It is one of Europe’s oldest surviving crowns and the oldest in Britain, made by Scotland’s royal goldsmith, John Mosman, in 1540. However, the materials used to make the crown were recycled from an even older crown.
The crown was made for James V, who first wore it at the coronation of his wife Queen Mary of Guise in 1540. She ruled Scotland alongside her husband until his death in 1542.
Prince William and Kate Middleton in attendence
Mary Queen of Scots was the first to be crowned using both the new crown and sceptre in 1543.
“By the symbol of this crown, we pledge our loyalty, entrusting you to reign as our king in the service of all your people,” Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon and Scotland’s most senior peer, said as he presented Charles with the crown on a cushion.
“In receiving this crown, I so promise by God’s help,” Charles replied.
After the ceremony at St. Giles Cathedral, a 21-gun salute was fired from Edinburgh Castle (where the Crown of Scotland usually sits on display), followed by a procession back to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the king’s official Scottish residence. The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, performed a ceremonial flypast to end the celebrations.
King Charles and Queen Camilla were, of course, not alone during the celebration, as they were joined by Prince William and Kate Middleton. As photos of the smiling family emerged online, the mother of three was praised for her stunning electric blue woollen ensemble by Catherine Walker & Co.
Kate decided to do what she has done many times before; re-wear items from her extensive wardrobe, which hopefully will turn into a royal trend.
The last – and first – time she wore the coat dress was at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey last year.
Prince William and Kate share a special way of communicating
As reported by Newsweek, this time, Kate and her stylists had updated the piece by “accessorizing the look with a beret style asymmetrical hat, featuring a sculpted element echoing a feather.”
Celebrity stylist and royal fashion expert Miranda Holder told Newsweek that “Kate stunned in patriotic Scottish blue at the Coronation today, but while the vivid color of her Catherine Walker ensemble made her stand out from the crowd, it was actually an understated choice, being a repeat item she had worn before.” Holder added that the coat-dress was fitting considering Kate MIddleton and Prince William’s consciousness towards the environment.
“Kate is conscious of sustainability in fashion, and is of course a keen advocate of her husband’s Earthshot cause,” she said, “as well as striking a careful balance between looking elegant and ‘royal’ whilst not being too ostentatious or ‘showy’ in today’s economically-challenged climate.”
Once the St. Giles ceremony had finished the Prince William and Kate – who are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland – traveled back to Charles’ official Scottish residence in the procession, and were seen chatting with each other while the Red Arrows performed their flypast.
Kate also appeared to perform what some might call quite a naughty gesture; a little bum pat. Body language expert Judi James spoke about the moment with the Mirror, saying that she can clearly see a big difference between how William and Kate communicate with each other and how Charles and Camilla communicate.
“The King and Queen are more like a ventriloquist act, both muttering asides to the other in a way that doesn’t look like real conversation, but the ability to mutter may feel comforting for them both at events like this,” James told the Mirror.
Kate Middleton – signature bum-pat gesture
When it comes to William and Kate, however, James said that the royal couple often show signs that they’re attentively listening to each other, and that this is often in the form of adding either touch or “truncated” touch. “Kate even did her now signature bum-pat gesture, and the couple tend to use eye contact and exchange smiles as they speak,” James added.
This is not the first time Kate Middleton has been seen doing her bum-pat gesture. In fact, on the red carpet for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), Kate and William shared another cheeky moment she patted his royal bottom.
The coronation in May was a huge event, and for everyone involved, it was a first. Therefore, it comes as no surprise strange that, according to Judi James, Kate and the rest of the royals appeared more relaxed at Charles’ Scottish ceremony.
“He did appear to fuss and fret over Camilla this time though, and when he did drop the smile and adopt a wary frown with his signature steepled brows, it was when he was turning back in concern to see her get safely in and out of their car or to move to her seat, which was when he also used some of the rapid hand-flicking gestures that tend to signal royal impatience,” James said.
“His concern seemed justified as Camilla did appear nervous. Unlike Kate she lacked the ability to perform a pose of stillness during the service and her constant patting of her hair or the white plume of her hat were self-checking rituals that hinted at ongoing inner anxiety.”
While Kate re-used the coat-dress for King Charles’ Scottish “coronation,” just a short while ago, she ended up coming under heavy fire for doing the opposite.
Kate Middleton came under fire for using identical dresses
While William announced his campaign to battle homelessness, Kate attended the Order of the Garter ceremony and received intense criticism for what she wore.
The Duchess of Cambridge donned a new Alessandra Rich polka dot dress and, while it looked flattering on her, many thought it looked too similar to a dress she wore at the Royal Ascot last year.
Kate’s fashion choice became a faux pas as it sparked a heated discussion on why the royal would have decided to wear a one thousand pound dress while millions of Brits struggled with the cost of living and homelessness. Royal commentators Michelle Thole and Rachael Andrews said that while Kate looked “beautiful,” the choice was a “mishap.”
“This was a bit of a flop, not the outfit, the circumstances under it. It just didn’t sit well,” Andrews said on their podcast Keeping Up With The Windsors, as reported by Express.
“And this year, she had on shoes that looked very similar to ones that she’s previously worn before, but again, its a different designer, but they look almost the same.”
Rachael Andrews added: “She’s obviously got her favourite designers but why [is she] picking a dress that’s so similar? Why not bring out the dress you’ve previously worn? Last year the dots were a bit smaller or this year’s were, and that was about it, and the colour. Come on!”
Reportedly spent $337,000 on her wardrobe in 2022
The royal commentator added that Kate’s stylist, Natasha Archer, is also at fault, arguing that she should have noticed Kate already had a similar dress and that she did not “need” the new one. Michelle Thole also stated that the decision to have a new dress “made no sense to her.” Especially since all clothes are tailor-made, which makes them even more expensive.
Figures revealed that the Duchess spent $337,000 on her wardrobe last year, royal expert Daniela Elser reported in January. She argued that Kate’s 2022 events didn’t explain the “sartorial excesses.”
“It’s not as if she worked that much more. In 2020 she undertook 108 engagements, in 2021, that figure was 123, and last year, 138. And yet, over the course of that same period of time, the number of new things she has worn has risen from 134 in 2020 to 204 in 2022,” Elser wrote.
“So too has the average cost per item increased over those three years, from $1171 per item to $2007 per item.”
Rachael Andrews continued on the podcast: “As she’s Princess of Wales now, it is like she has a certain uniform, and I think we are seeing that, but she had so many outfits that she could re-wear to an event like this.”
“It just seems like a big waste.”
The discussion continued onto Kate’s extensive coat dress collection, with Andrews saying: “How many coat dresses has she got that she hasn’t worn more than once to a church service? Bring that out. Bring something out that you haven’t worn in eight, [or] nine years, and everyone would be like, ‘wow, she’s doing a re-wear, that’s so cool.'”
She then added: “We absolutely love Catherine and we’re normally all hot on what she wears but it just felt like a mishap this time and a lot of people felt the same.”
Thole concluded that it “does not look good” for William either. “If it was a completely different dress, a completely different style, we wouldn’t be having this conversation but because it’s something that’s in her wardrobe already, it just seems like a big waste,” she said.
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