King Charles Coronation | Different types of invitation cards and documents

As the world is getting ready to witness King Charles Coronation on May 6, let's go through the different types of coronation invitation cards for kings and queens respectively. UK Royals Archives have shared some of their documents related to coronations throughout history. They have been preserving the personal and official correspondence of Monarchs from George III (1760-1820) onwards, as well as administrative records of the departments of the Royal Household.
The images of King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation invitations have been released. Ahead of the 6 May celebration, the ornate invites, printed on recycled paper, have been sent to 2,000 guests. The Coronation invites have been a longstanding tradition, with the oldest coronation notes in their archive which are dated back to  King George III's coronation in 1761. As a tribute to the upcoming coronation, the Royal Archives has shared invites across the monarchy's history.

Coronation invitation card of the UK Royals

Here are the following coronation invitations with the tastes of the royal family and some important facts: 

King George III - 1761

King George III acceded to the throne upon the death of his grandfather King George II on 25 October 1760. He married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, on September 8, 1761, having met each other for the first time on their wedding day.

Admission ticket for the Upper Gallery of Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of King George III and Queen Charlotte on 22 September 1761.

King George IV

King George IV acceded to the throne in 1820 following the death of his father King George III. The new King had become Prince Regent in 1811 due to his father’s poor health and as Prince of Wales and Regent. He has been best known for his lavish and expensive lifestyle.

Admission card to the Royal Family’s Box in Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of King George IV on 19 July 1821. The card has been signed by Deputy Earl Marshal, Lord Howard of Effingham. It is believed the admission card was designed by Sir William Congreve (1772-1828), Equerry to King George IV and inventor of the military weapon, the Congreve Rocket.

William IV and Queen Adelaide

On 26 June 1830, at the age of 64, King William IV became the oldest person to accede to the British throne. He held a record until the Accession of King Charles III in 2022. Unlike his extravagant brother, King George IV, he discouraged pomp and ceremony, an attitude which is evident in his low-key Coronation.

Admission ticket for the Coronation of King William IV and Queen Adelaide at Westminster Abbey. The ticket is of a plain design, simply depicting the personal cyphers of King William IV and Queen Adelaide.

Queen Victoria

Princess Victoria became Queen at the age of eighteen when King William IV died on 20 June 1837. Victoria had known she would become Queen from an early age as her uncles, King George IV and King William IV, had no surviving legitimate children.

The Duchess of Kent’s admission ticket to the Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey on 28 June 1838.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla 

Buckingham Palace has shared the invitation for this year's Coronation on April 4, which has been sent to the over 2,000 guests who would form the congregation in Westminster Abbey. Further, the UK palace has announced eight Pages of Honour who have been chosen to attend Their Majesties during the Coronation Service. The invitation has been designed by Andrew Jamieson, a heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator whose work is inspired by the chivalric themes of Arthurian legend. One can witness the original artwork on the invitation which was hand-painted in watercolour and gouache. This invitation would be reproduced and printed on recycled cards, with gold foil detailing. 

In the Center, the motif of the Green Man is an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth. This motif means celebrating the new reign. The shape of the Green Man crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom. 

The British wildflower meadow bordering the invitation features lily of the valley, cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, bluebells, and a sprig of rosemary for remembrance, together with wildlife including a bee, a butterfly, a ladybird, a wren and a robin. Flowers appear in groupings of three, signifying that the King became the third monarch of his name. 

A lion, a unicorn and a boar have been taken from the coats of arms of the Monarch and Her Majesty’s father, Major Bruce Shand can be seen amongst the flowers. Her Majesty’s arms are now enclosed by the Garter, following her installation as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter last summer.

Meanwhile, the Royal Family has tweeted on the social media platform where they have shared some of the interesting documents related to the coronation. According to the Royal Family, in just a week’s time, King Charles III would become the 40th Monarch to be Crowned at Westminster Abby.  Taking to Twitter, Royal Family wrote: "On 2 June 1953, Prince Charles became the first child in British history to witness their mother’s Coronation when he attended Queen Elizabeth II’s ceremony at the age of four." Further, they tweeted: "While Prince Charles was too young to record his experiences of his mother’s Coronation, other members of The Royal Family have written their recollections of such events. In 1937, a young Princess Elizabeth wrote an account of her parents’ Coronation." In a long tweet thread, the UK royals have shared a glimpse of historical texts that were related to the Coronation.  

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily)

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily)

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily)

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily)

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily)

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily)

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily)