White background, soft colors and a tribute to spring: this is the invitation to the coronation ceremony of King Carlos III and Queen Camila, which will take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London. A ceremony that is expected to be attended by a select group of almost two thousand guests who will receive said invitation.
A document that guarantees entry to the event of the year in the UK, but one that is also worth a close look, because it is full of hidden meanings. Designed by the heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson, it even has the figure of a green man on the base that many will have gone completely unnoticed.
Jamieson was inspired by the legendary Knights of the Round Table from the legend of King Arthur for his creation. The mythical medieval king is a prominent figure in British folklore, and represents the ideal monarchy, both in his ideals of war and peace.
Thus, the invitation shows illustrations in the style of those that could be found in Celtic literature, with floral motifs and insects typical of the forest or spring environment. Hand painted with watercolor and gouache, the final design was printed on cardstock with gold foil details.
However, the figure of that green man at the bottom of the invitation draws attention. Who is it? What is he doing there? That green man is an ancient figure from British folklore who symbolizes spring and rebirth, as well as celebrating this new reign.
Usually only her face is illustrated, with her face surrounded or made of leaves, usually in the form of vines or branches sprouting from some part of her face. It is popular to see it carved on the facades of some Anglo-Saxon buildings, and it is usually related to everything that represents nature and spring.
Accompanying the Green Man and his spring impulse, flora and fauna of the season: daisies, lilies, orchids, violets; but also butterflies, robins, ladybugs... A whole exaltation of the new season, of rebirth.
In addition, the coats of arms of the late Philip of Edinburgh, the king's father, appear, as well as that of Carlos III. The wild boar, symbol of the coat of arms of Major Bruce Shand, Camila's father and who died in 2006, can also be seen among the vegetation.
In addition to the beautiful illustrations, one of the most striking details of the invitation is that Camila will stop being "queen consort" to become "queen Camila".
Camila Parker-Bowles is identified as "Queen Camilla" for the first time, this being another step in the incredible transformation that the woman who was once described as a "homewrecker" by the British people for her role in the separation between her current husband and his first wife, the late Princess Diana.
Carlos and Camila met when they were just teenagers, but the current king of the British would end up marrying Diana in 1981. The result of that marriage would be their two children: Guillermo, heir to the throne; and Henry. However, the king never ended his relationship with Camila, whom he ended up marrying in a discreet ceremony in 2005, years after the tragic death of the so-called "people's princess", who lost her life in 1997 in a car accident in Paris.
