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King Charles has shared a childhood memory of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Crown Jewels at bathtime for practice ahead of her coronation.
Charles is seen recalling the memories in a new documentary, in which he meets women who travelled across the world to attend his mother’s coronation in in the summer of 1953.
Despite being just four-years-old at the time, Charles told the group that he could remember “quite a lot” of the event, including how the then 25-year-old Elizabeth prepared for it.
“My grandmother explained things to me while I was there,” he said. “I can remember quite a lot, yes, well, particularly what I was dressed in and what the barber did to me before.”
He added: “I remember it all so well then, because I remember my sister and I had bath time in the evening,
“My mama used to come up at bath time wearing the crown to practice. You have to get used to how heavy it is. I’ve never forgotten, I can still remember it vividly.”
The King went on to wear the same 17th century crown at his own coronation in Westminster Abbey in May 2023.
Talking about his own experiences of wearing the St Edward’s Crown 70 years after his mother, he told the women: “It is very important to wear it for a certain amount of time, because you get used to it then.
“But the big one that you’re crowned with, the St Edward’s Crown, it weighs five pounds. It is much heavier and taller, so there’s always that feeling of feeling slightly anxious, in case it wobbles.
“You have to carry it, you have to look straight ahead.”
The film follows the story of 50 young women from across Canada who were sponsored by Canadian businessman Garfield Weston to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in the summer of 1953.
The group, who were around 17 years in age, sailed across the Atlantic on the Empress of France to reach Liverpool where they boarded a train down to London for the historic event.
Coronation Girls tracks 12 of the women, whose average age is 89, as they retraced their steps and returned to London in December 2023, where they were surprised by Charles during a visit to Buckingham Palace.
The women told the documentary that their trip to Elizabeth’s coronation was “life-changing”, “magic” and described the moment the new Queen passed them in the gold state coach during procession.
“The crowds were so joyous and so loud they drowned out the marching bands,” one said.
At the time, the late Queen was around nine years older than the girls, which, some said, helped them feel a special connection with the new monarch.
In June 2022, the group wrote a letter to Elizabeth where they asked if they could have tea with her a few months before she died.
The documentary, which explores themes of enduring friendship and the impact the historic event had on the young women, will be aired on Boxing Day on WNED PBS in Canada. Produced by FeltFilm, it was directed by Canadian filmmaker Douglas Arrowsmith and will be released internationally next year.
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