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Seasonal UK flowers and foliage chosen for King Charles III's Coronation
King Charles III's Coronation will take place tomorrow (Saturday 6th May 2023), but what flowers can we expect the green-fingered monarch to choose for the ceremony?
From the King's favourite flowers to a look at what featured in Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation bouquet, here's everything we know so far...
King Charles III's Coronation flowers: what you need to know
King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, have chosen over 120 kinds of flowers and foliage to decorate Westminster Abbey. Grown locally in the UK, the series of different arrangements will include hellebore, jasmine, honeysuckle, colourful tulips, ranunclus, blossom, aquilegia, birch, hazel, bay, wild broom, rosemary, and many more.
The High Altar will be decorated with foliage provided by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), including crab apple, camellia, acer, hazel, azalea, amelanchier and cuttings from beech trees planted by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Meanwhile, the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior will be decorated with spring flowers denoting remembrance. Expect to see cowslips, Lily of the valley, forget-me-nots, bluebells, and the last of this year's daffodils.
There will also be two tall yew topiaries at the door, which will be replanted later at Sandringham for all to enjoy.
Surrounding the entrance to the Coronation Theatre, the Quire will feature a colour palette influenced by the rich golds, burgundies, purples, pinks and reds of the High Altar and the Cosmati Pavement, as well as Their Majesties' Robes of State and Estate.
Hellebore — which appeared in His Majesty's buttonhole for his 2005 wedding — will appear here too, alongside honeysuckle, tulips, ranunculus, and wild broom grown on the Isle of Skye.
The King is a passionate environmentalist, so all of the flowers have been sourced locally and sustainably. They have been provided by Flowers from the Farm, and will be donated to Floral Angels after use — a charity of which the Queen Consort is patron. They will be reused in bouquets, and sent to care homes, shelters, hospices and other members of the local community.
'The flowers are one of the things that can reflect the real characters of the King and Queen, simple garden flowers that are British seasonal, like they might cut themselves from their own gardens. I felt that was really important,' Florist Shane Connolly, who was in charge of the flowers for the weddings of both the King and Queen in 2005, told The Telegraph.
'Maybe this and the music are the two things that really reflect that personality. That was my aim, to make it all incredibly personal to them.'
Speaking about the colour palette, Shane adds: 'The colours are more serious, I think. And we were very much inspired by the Cosmati pavement and the High Altar. It's almost like a stained glass window – the deep reds, earthy colours, coppery colours and fresh green.'
What Coronation flowers did Queen Elizabeth II have?
At Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in May 1927, her Majesty's Coronation Bouquet was made up of white flowers – comprising orchids and lilies-of-the-valley from England, stephanotis from Scotland, orchids from Wales, and carnations from Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
With special family connections, lily-of-the-valley was also included in Kate Middleton's bridal bouquet when she married Prince William.
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