King Charles shared the “marvellous” childhood moment with the Queen when she once wore a crown at bath time as he opened up in a BBC documentary.
- The King has spoken about “marvellous moments” with his beloved late mother on the BBC’s A Tribute To Her Majesty the Queen.
- King Charles discussed the “shock” Her Majesty might have felt upon first learning she was monarch back in 1952 and the time she practiced wearing the coronation crown.
- This royal news comes as Prince Harry paid tribute to the Queen as he recalled the moment she hugged Archie and Lilibet.
In the days since Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died at Balmoral Castle, heartfelt tributes have been pouring in from across the globe. From members of The Firm, to politicians and members of the public, the world is remembering Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. On September 9th, the BBC aired a special documentary in her honor, featuring interviews with all of the Queen’s children, as well as those who have worked with her and other figures.
Speaking on A Tribute To Her Majesty the Queen, King Charles shared the “marvellous moments” with Her Majesty he will never forget. This included the time she practiced wearing the jewel-encrusted coronation crown at his bath time.
“You know when we were small, having a bath and she came in practicing wearing the crown for the coronation. All those, sort of, marvellous moments I shall never forget,” he declared warmly. "But also you know, she was always there and I could talk to her about this, that and the other."
Given the scale of the coronation in 1953, the Queen’s decision to practice wearing the Imperial State Crown is understandable as she prepared to face one of the biggest days of her life. King Charles’ heartfelt recollection about this "marvellous" childhood moment and his close bond with the Queen came ahead of him opening up about the impact of King George VI’s death upon his mother.
In 1952, the then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip had set off to undertake a royal tour when her father’s passed away. The 25-year-old new Queen flew back to London to take on her huge destiny to succeed King George VI as the UK’s monarch.
Reflecting upon this pivotal moment in his mother’s life, King Charles expressed his belief that this was likely an exceptionally difficult time for her.
“Well, it must have been a terrible shock, in many ways,” he said. “You could imagine at that age when presumably she’d hoped that she’d have a chance to do other things, and, you know, bring up her family and us, and have more time to adjust.”
At the time of the Queen’s coronation in June 1953, King Charles was just four years old and first in the royal line of succession. He had the historic and rare royal privilege of being the first child to witness their mother’s coronation as Sovereign.
Meanwhile, it’s even been claimed over the years by Lady Anne Glenconner that curious Charles briefly “made a beeline” for the crown before it was rescued by a lady-in-waiting.
Now 70 years later, the new King leads the country and Commonwealth in mourning Queen Elizabeth II, whose dedication to her duties as Sovereign remained steadfast. These precious anecdotes, both about her as a mother and her as a Queen, are all the more special as we remember one of Britain’s greatest monarchs.
