FILE PHOTO-Britain's King Charles III, and Camilla, the Queen Consort, stand together prior to the State Banquet in the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Wednesday, March 29, 2023.  Matthias Schrader/Pool via REUTERS
United Kingdom

Children to play major roles in King Charles' coronation ceremony

King Charles's grandson Prince George and the grandchildren of the Queen Consort Camilla to play major roles in the coronation of the British monarch next month, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday.

The invitation for the Coronation of Britain's King Charles III is seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters April 4, 2023.

LONDON (Reuters) - King Charles's grandson Prince George and the grandchildren of the Queen Consort Camilla will play major roles in the coronation of the British monarch next month, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Tuesday.

George, 9, the eldest son of heir to the throne Prince William, will be one of the king's four pages of honour who will accompany him at the grand ceremony on May 6, and join the procession through the nave of London's Westminster Abbey.

Camilla's four pages will be made up of her grandchildren Freddy Parker Bowles, and Gus and Louis Lopes, as well as her great-nephew Arthur Elliot.

British newspapers had previously reported that the queen consort wanted her grandchildren to play significant roles, even though their parents are the children from her marriage to her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles.

The announcement comes as the Palace also released a new official photograph of Charles and Camilla, and details of the invitation which will be sent out to the more than 2,000 coronation guests.

The artwork for this, designed by heraldic artist Andrew Jamieson, was handpainted in watercolour and gouache, and features a motif of the Green Man - an ancient figure from British folklore.

Flowers on the invitation, which will be made from recycled card, will appear in groupings of three - a nod to the king being the third monarch to be called Charles - and it will also feature a lion, a unicorn and a boar, taken from the royal couple's coats of arms.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by William James)

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