Queen Camilla Rewears Her Coronation Dress at State Opening of Parliament
Queen Camilla is a pro at rewearing gowns.
Camilla, 76, donned the same ivory Bruce Oldfield gown at the State Opening of Parliament that she wore for King Charles III’s coronation in May. For the Tuesday, November 7, event, she paired the design — which features golden floral embroidery, her nine grandchildren’s names, a monogram of her “CR” emblem and images of her two Jack Russell Terriers — with the George IV State Diadem crown.
According to the Royal Collection Trust, the tiara features “a silver and gold-lined diadem with an openwork frame set transparent with diamonds,” as well as a pearl band. It’s set with 1,333 diamonds and a four-carat yellow jewel on the cross of the crown. The headpiece was often worn by Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 at age 96.
When Camilla first donned the gown at Charles’ coronation, she teamed the number with the crown of Queen Mary, who was also Queen Consort to King George V in 1911. The jewelry piece consisted of a silver and gold frame, around 2000 diamonds, a plum velvet cap and an ermine band.
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At the time, Oldfield — who has worked with the royal family for decades — gushed about designing the gown in a May 2022 interview with The Telegraph.
“I think she wanted what everyone wants in a dress, that is allure … I design in quite a classical way. I design to flatter the body,” he said. “The great thing about this particular commission was that we do have a great knowledge of her figure and her body. And also I can tell when she doesn’t like something!”
He continued, “She was becoming queen of this great nation, so [the dress] couldn’t be too frivolous, it had to have some kind of gravitas.” Oldfield noted that because both Charles and Camilla “love the country and they love gardening and they love walking,” he embroidered the garment with “swathes of wildflowers.”
This isn’t the first time Camilla has re-worn a gown.
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Last month, she rocked another Oldfield design while attending a reception in honor of Charles’ first trip to London after his coronation. The black dress featured a scoop neckline, puffy sleeves and intricate silver leaf beading. For the reception, she paid tribute to Elizabeth by wearing her favorite tiara, the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland crown
She previously wore the garb in March, during a state banquet in Germany. At the time, she accessorized with the Greville Tiara.
