Saturday 6 May 2023 marks a momentous occasion - King Charles III’s coronation. But what actually is a coronation and what role do flowers play in the event?

What is a coronation?

A coronation formalises the monarch’s role as the Church of England. It is a religious ceremony in which the monarch will officially gain all of their titles and powers, marked by the final physical act of a crown being placed on the head of the monarch. Although a monarch can accede to power without actually having a formal coronation, coronations are a tradition that have taken place in England for over a thousand years.

The ceremony will be split up into the following five stages:

Stage One: The Recognition

King Charles III will be standing next to the 700-year-old Coronation chair in front of everyone gathered at Westminster Abbey. Those present will announce ‘God Save the King’ and trumpets will be sounded shortly after.

Stage Two: The Oath

King Charles III will swear to uphold the law and the Church of England.

Stage Three: The Anointing

King Charles II will have his ceremonial robe removed and will take a seat on the Coronation Chair. He will then be covered with a gold cloth and anointed with holy oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Stage Four: The Investiture

King Charles III will be presented with various items, including the Royal Orb (representing religious authority); the Sceptre (representing power) and the Sovereign’s Sceptre. The Archbishop of Canterbury will then place St Edward’s crown on King Charles III’s head.

Stage Five: The Enthronement and Homage

The King is now officially crowned. He will leave the Coronation Chair and move to the throne. Peers will kneel before him to pay homage.

What role will flowers play in the King’s coronation?

King Charles III’s Coronation Emblem

As with any royal event, King Charles III’s coronation has an official emblem, provided by Buckingham Palace and designed by Sir Jony Ive. The emblem contains the national flowers of each member nation of the United Kingdom. It contains the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland. It also contains the flowers of St Edward’s Crown. According to Ive, the emblem’s floral design was inspired by King Charles III’s love of the natural world and his environmental concerns.

The emblem represents the start of a new era for the United Kingdom and reflects the importance of taking care of our planet and preserving the environment.

St Edward’s Crown

St Edward’s Crown, the crown that will be used during King Charles III’s coronation, boasts four fleur-de-lis to reflect the four nations making up the United Kingdom. The fleur-de-lis has been used as a decorative symbol in various European nations. It has long been extremely prevalent in royal decorative ornaments and crowns.

What flowers can we expect to see at King Charles III’s coronation?

Of course, we will not know for sure which flowers will be included in the coronation, but we have a few guesses…

Lily of the Valley

A strong contender is the lily-of-the-valley. This flower is a symbol of trustworthiness, sincerity, love and happiness. This flower was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II and unsurprisingly featured in her Coronation bouquet in 1953.

The lily-of-the-valley was also included in Kate Middleton’s bridal bouquet, so it appears to be a royal family favourite.

Four national flowers

The four national flowers of the United Kingdom are another strong likelihood. Since these flowers hold great national significance, it is likely that we will see them at the coronation. These flowers are also included in King Charles III coronation emblem, which could hint at their inclusion in the ceremony.

Delphiniums

In 2020, when the Chelsea Flower Show was held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, King Charles III revealed his love of delphiniums. In a social media post he shared that he enjoys growing delphiniums due to their eye-catching colours. It would therefore be somewhat surprising if these blooms were nowhere to be seen during the event.

Alchemilla Mollis

Another possible flower is the alchemillamollis, a favourite of Camilla, the Queen Consort. This is a plant that also produces tiny yellow or green flowers, with scalloped leaves. The vibrant green of this plant will add a burst of colour to the coronation.

Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation flowers

We won’t be surprised if King Charles III decides to pay homage to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II and to her record-breaking reign. A most touching and personal way to do so would be with flowers. The Queen’s coronation bouquet included orchids, lily-of-the-valley, stephanotis and carnations.

King Charles III, the environmentalist

King Charles III has long been a lover of the environment, raising awareness for various environmental issues and pushing for change. His love for the environment has become so widely known that many are saying that he will become known as Britain’s first ‘climate King’.

King Charles III’s gardens at Highgrove House, his estate in Gloucestershire, is an example of one of his first commitments to sustainability. The gardens are organically maintained, including a wild garden which is a sustainable habitat for birds and other wildlife. The estate also has solar panels and all waste from the house is filtered through a natural sewage system.

In June 2021, before the G-7 summit, King Charles III urged businesses to work together with the government to tackle climate change. He emphasised that using cash from the private sector would be the fundamental key to slow down climate change.

With such a deep, strong love of the environment, it will be interesting to see the extent to which the coronation draws attention to the importance of sustainability and natural beauty.

How will we mark the coronation?

Of course, we will honour King Charles III’s coronation by creating a bespoke bouquet for the occasion. The bouquet will be called… and will include…and will be available to buy from…

In the past, we have made the following bouquets to honour different royal events and members of the royal family:

Platinum Jubilee bouquet 

This was a hand-tied bouquet including red roses, blue thistle, white hydrangeas and lisianthus. Of course, we had to incorporate the colours of the Union Jack to mark this momentous national occasion.

Diamond Jubilee bouquet 

This was a decadent combination of red calla lilies, red roses and red carnations to honour the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Duke of Edinburgh bouquet 

This bouquet was made up of classic white roses, blue hydrangeas and lisianthus, together with eucalyptus and wax flower stems.

Celebrate King Charles III’s coronation with flowers! Since King Charles III is such a proud environmentalist and lover of the natural world, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate his coronation than with flowers! Take a look at our brand new coronation bouquet and browse our extensive selection of bouquets to celebrate this historic moment in time.