Prince William in portrait - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
PRINCESS Kate’s coronation dress has been revealed in full – as she beams alongside Queen Camilla and Prince William in an official portrait.
The Alexander McQueen gown was covered up by Kate’s ceremonial robes during the coronation itself, but can now be seen in full thanks to the Buckingham Palace photo.
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Kate wore a ivory silk crepe gown with silver bullion and thread work embroidery.
The embroidered patterns included rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock patterns – a poignant detail nodding to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.
The symbols, which also appear on Princess Charlotte’s dress, were all the more touching for having also featured on the late Queen’s gown for her own coronation in 1953.
The Princess of Wales also wore a matching Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen headpiece with silver bullion, crystal and silver three-dimensional leaf embroidery.
She has long been an Alexander McQueen fan, choosing the designer for her wedding dress.
Another poignant detail of Kate’s outfit was her pearl and diamond earrings, which were previously owned by her mother-in-law Princess Diana.
The earrings, which Kate previously wore at the BAFTAs in 2019, were given to Diana before her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles.
Kate finished off her outfit with the King George VI Festoon Necklace, which was given by George VI to his daughter, the late Queen.
The necklace, made from 105 loose diamonds, was one of the Queen’s favourite pieces of jewellery.
The Princess of Wales’s coronation robe, which covered up the gown on Saturday, was a deep blue Royal Victorian Order mantle edged in scarlet.
Kate is entitled to wear the robe after the Queen made her a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 2019.
The floor-length cloak was made from dark blue silk satin lined with white silk taffeta, and came with a hand-embroidered badge and hood.
The official portrait released yesterday shows the 12 working royals standing in the Buckingham Palace Throne Room, mirroring a line-up for the late Queen’s coronation 70 years ago.
But just five faces remain from that day’s black and white snap — the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra and a then very young Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
The new photo — released 48 hours after the stunning ceremony at Westminster Abbey — is one of four which mark the future of the Royal Family and the new monarch’s reign.
The official Coronation photograph of the new King is almost identical to the famous image taken by Cecil Beaton which marked his mother’s crowning in 1953.
However, Queen Elizabeth was pictured in front of a backdrop photo of Westminster Abbey.
The King, wearing the Robes of his Estate, is seen on his throne holding the dazzling Orb in his left hand and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross in his right.
The Orb — made from gold in the 17th century — is a representation of the sovereign’s power and symbolises the Christian world.
The gold Sceptre with Cross represents the sovereign’s temporal power and is associated with good governance.
King Charles is pictured wearing the Imperial State Crown which he donned for the carriage ride from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace and when he waved to crowds from the balcony.
The monarch is seated on one of a pair of 1902 throne chairs made for the future King George V and Queen Mary for use at the Coronation of King Edward VII.
The Palace also released a portrait of smiling Queen Camilla wearing her reconfigured Queen Mary’s Crown and Robe of Estate — taken in the Green Drawing Room.
A fourth image shows the new King, 74, and Queen, 75, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the palace Throne Room.