The Prince and Princess of Wales’s son, Prince George, makes an appearance in a new BBC documentary, which shows behind-the-scenes footage from the day of the King’s coronation.
George, then nine, was given a starring role as one of his grandfather Charles’s Pages of Honour at the historic May ceremony.
The young prince, dressed in his red uniform, can be seen fiddling with his white gloves as he prepares to hold his grandpa’s robes as they prepare to leave from Buckingham Palace to travel to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
As Charles lifts his arms in the robe, he quips: “I can fly” before gesturing to his four pages, including George, “Shall we get ourselves organised round there?”
Meanwhile, Queen Camilla, dressed in her white and gold embroidered Bruce Oldfield gown and robes appears nervous as she makes her way to the carriage, with her four pages in tow holding up her dress.
“Here we are with all the lads,” she smiles.
Camilla’s three grandsons, Gus and Louis Lopes and Freddy Parker Bowles, were given the roles on the day, along with her great-nephew, Arthur Elliot.
As the King and Queen wave from the carriage to make their way to the Abbey, George stands proudly with the rest of the pages outside the palace.
© BBC/Oxford Film and TelevisionAnnabel Elliot, the Queen’s younger sister, appears in the documentary and describes how it was “surreal” watching Camilla and the King travelling in the Gold State Coach after their crowning.
Appearing emotional, she says: “There was just a really exciting moment of just getting them into that carriage the first time, and we knew we were off. We were ready, we were ready and we were ready to go out and face literally the world.”
Other scenes released from the 90-minute documentary also show Charles laughing when the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby forgets the words to part of the liturgy – the prayers and actions of the coronation service – in a second rehearsal clip filmed at Westminster Abbey.
Archbishop Welby, who led the ceremony, confesses to the camera in an interview: “I have a memory that is probably about as good as our spaniel’s – in other words, zero.”
A new image released from the film also shows the Prince of Wales laughing with Charles as William practices fitting lavish robes around the King for the ceremony.
© BBC/Oxford Film and TelevisionThe documentary chronicles some of the major moments from the first year of the King’s reign, and includes an interview with the Princess Royal who gives her recollections of those first 12 months and how the monarch and his wife have adapted to their new roles.
Charles III: The Coronation Year will be screened on December 26 at 6.50pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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