Coronation chic! How some of the UK’s most glamorous royal fans are celebrating the big day in style – from a trip to London with cream teas and carriage rides to a glitzy bash with designer flowers and indulgent cakes
- Glamorous royal fans reveal the details behind their glitzy coronation parties
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- READ MORE: King Charles III coronation schedule: Full list of events, itinerary and timings for the historic day
As we enter the final straight of the Coronation countdown, finishing touches are being made when it comes to plans for the big day on Saturday.
And it’s not just Buckingham Palace organisers who have their hands full with trying to pull together an event that no one will ever forget – up and down the country, ardent royal watchers are planning their own celebrations.
Some are planning to celebrate the day in style at home, throwing elegant bashes packed with chic details including designer flowers and the king’s favourite gin cocktails.
Meanwhile others are planning to attend the event itself, and have put together carefully crafted itineraries for a weekend in London, boasting regal activities like Windsor Castle carriage rides.
Here, FEMAIL reveals how some of the UK’s most glamorous royal fans will be making the most of King Charles’ big day…
‘I can’t wait to celebrate in style in London’
Lifestyle blogger Laura-Ann Barr (pictured) is making the most of the coronation with a glamorous trip to the capital (pictured here outside the Ivy in London)
Laura-Ann Barr is a lifestyle blogger from Belfast, who regularly updates her followers via her Instagram account (@all.thats.pretty). She is also a huge fan of the royals, and has met members of The Firm on a number of occasions.
The blogger, who was invited to a Buckingham palace garden party in 2019, has met Charles twice (once since he became king), the Princess of Wales three times, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex once. She also met the late Queen Elizabeth once, with all of these meetings saved for posterity, as Instagram Story Highlights.
She revealed to FEMAIL that she will be making the most of the long weekend, starting with a very special excursion around a very royal town, taking a private carriage trip around Windsor.
Laura-Ann, who will be documenting her travels on Instagram, has jam-packed days planned for the rest of the weekend too.
Among the places she will visit over the four days is Claridge’s, where she and friends will enjoy a quintessentially English treat – an afternoon tea.
It won’t be the only afternoon tea she’ll partake in during the four-day break, and will be hitting Dorchester too during the trip.
And it wouldn’t be a truly British royal event without a street party, so Laura-Ann has managed to find time to pack one into her schedule on the Friday night.
Saturday is the big day, and the blogger will have to ensure she’s well-rested and ready for action, as her morning starts extremely early.
Laura-Ann, who has curated an impressive itinerary for the weekend, is documenting her very royal trip on Instagram
At this time, she will arrive on the Mall to find a good spot where she can watch the procession, and then the balcony action (which includes the fly past and of course, the royal wave).
The trip will be wrapped up on Sunday, when she will return to Windsor to attend the coronation concert.
Laura-Ann told FEMAIL: ‘I can’t wait to be in London and soak up the atmosphere and I can’t wait to celebrate in style in the capital city itself.
‘I will be documenting my entire trip on a series of reports on my Instagram in real time each day showing my followers around London and taking them with me.’
‘We will be throwing a Royal Celebration in honour of the coronation’
Luxury beauty brand director Jade Carolina (pictured) is pulling out all the stops, throwing a lavish coronation bash at her Fulham boutique
Meanwhile, Jade Carolina, director of luxury beauty brand Habsburg & Bourbon, will be bringing to celebration to her, throwing lavish bash outside her Fulham boutique, Habsburg & Bourbon.
Jade, who describes herself and her two sons Jabin and Jacobi as ‘total royalists’, told FEMAIL that while she doesn’t have a favourite member of The Firm per se, she hugely admired the late Queen Elizabeth for her impressive work ethic and dedication to service and duty.
Every detail of her coronation party has been carefully considered, to ensure an elegant vibe that is reflective of the magnitude of the day.
Speaking about the day’s significance, Jade said: ‘I am really excited about the coronation as I think England needs a celebration after coming out of COVID…and then the Queen passing, so I think we as a nation need a rebirth and reset.’
She added: ‘I have a boutique in Fulham – that day, we will be throwing a Royal Celebration in honour of the coronation.’
Among the luxury treats on offer, she will be serving decadent cakes from the upmarket Hummingbird Bakery, and pink lemonade from Fentimans.
In addition, the outside of the boutique will be getting a royal makeover, with a special decorative touch.
According to Jade, she and her sons Jabin and Jacobi (pictured) are ‘total royalists’, and her stylish sons enjoy wearing royal-styling clothes and shoes
Prestigious, award-winning floral designer Philip Corps will be creating a floral installation, which will also feature balloons.
Sandwiches will be served on crown-shaped platters, and in a cheeky touch, Jade will provide royal face masks featuring members of The Firm including the Prince of Wales and King Charles.
‘We will get a Megan one too so she will still be there in some capacity,’ Jade added.
The day will have a special family air, as she will be accompanied by her two sons, who, she says ‘love to wear royal clothes and shoes’.
And, Jade added: ‘My grandmother was a huge fan of Queen Elizabeth, so in her honour, I will be celebrating with her in mind. And she adored the king.’
‘It will be a day marked in history…share it with the people you love’
Hope Flynn (pictured) is the founder of a multi media platform. She will be hosting the ultimate coronation bash featuring Pimms, freshly baked scones, and a palace-worthy dress code
Hope Flynn, founder of multimedia platform Feed Me Female, will also be going all out to ensure she marks this historical date in appropriate fashion – with fancy nibbles and drinks, and of course, a guest list packed with loved ones.
Her aesthetic for the day was informed by classic celebrations from years gone by, as well as classic British imagery.
She told FEMAIL: ‘Seeing old images of the street parties back when the queen had her coronation inspired my family to throw this party so we could all celebrate together.’
How to plan the perfect Coronation bash
The below tips offer a foolproof guide for planning a coronation party – and making sure you enjoy the day as well.
PLAN YOUR TIMINGS
Whilst this is crucial for any party, you will want to ensure your party sits in harmony with the coronation’s schedule.
Make sure you check this in advance so your guests can enjoy the highlights of the day and so you know when best to feed people and bring out the drinks.
A well thought through schedule will make your guests feel looked after and it will also help you with your plans by giving structure to your party.
However – don’t let the schedule take over! It’s a party – not a military drill, and it’s fine if things run over or do not go exactly to plan.
FOOD & DRINK – KEEP IT SIMPLE
For an event like this, I would always opt for food that you can prepare in advance and easily serve. You will want to be spending time with your guests and watching the proceedings so opting for big bowls and platters of food that guests can help themselves to is always a good idea.
You could also consider sharing the work and asking trusted guests to bring something with them.
I love the idea of reviving all the classics from Coronation Chicken to trifle, but do make sure you’ve catered for everyone and have options to cover all tastes and dietaries.
RECYCLING DECOR
There’s a tendency to want to throw all sorts of trinkets and decorations at your party, which I would encourage you to avoid. Not only do these start costing a lot, but the wastage is regrettable.
This is a good time to look at what you, or your friends, already own and what can be used again. I would opt for reusable fabric bunting and fresh flowers to bring your party to life in a sustainable way. The same goes for tableware. There’s something quintessentially British about mismatched cutlery and plates and you can ask everyone to bring a few sets.
I think this has a lovely look along a table and also avoids single-use items. The King is, after all, an ardent supporter of the environment and our planet.
KEEPING BUSY
Whilst your party will revolve around the main event of the day – the coronation – you may want to think about who is attending and ensure everyone is looked after.
It may be a long day for younger ones so I would suggest ensuring they have some activities to keep them occupied. Crown making and garden games are great ways to keep them entertained.
AND FINALLY…MAKE SURE TO RELAX
It sounds trivial but is so often forgotten when hosting. A stressed host makes for stressed guests!
Source: Matthew Shaw is creative director & founder of sauveur
Hope added that while she isn’t ‘a hardcore fan of the royal family’, she is patriotic, and has ‘nothing but love and devotion to this country’, and thinks it is ‘great to get involved in a nationwide celebration to welcome the new king into his role’.
When it comes to the party, there are several elements that Hope has designed to ensure a cohesive look to the bash.
The party will have an elegant sartorial air – the dress code suggests donning the outfits you’d choose if you were invited to attend an event at Buckingham Palace.
Hope said: ‘If you’ve got any fancy clothes in the wardrobe that you’ve been saving for a special occasion what better excuse to put them on? After all, this is a royal event.’
And the refreshments on offer will be equally elegant: guests will be able to quench their thirst with tall, cool glasses of Pimms.
The bar will also give a cheeky nod to the new monarch too, with gin martinis on of offer, which Hope says she believes are a favourite of the kings.
Meanwhile, the carefully curated menu will boast a true smörgåsbord of regal treats, including afternoon tea sandwiches, special coronation quiche, and a royal trifle Hope’s auntie is making.
Coronation chicken – that classic dish invented for Queen Elizabeth’s big day in 1953 – will also be on offer, alongside freshly baked scones.
And in another nod to the regal theme, Hope has purchased teas and special biscuits from Fortnum & Mason – the famous London department store that boasts not one, but two royal warrants.
Fittingly, the food and drinks will be consumed in style, using Hope’s best crockery and glassware.
It’s clear that a huge amount of thought has gone into the refreshments that will be served on the day.
And an equal amount of care has gone into creating the aesthetic elements of the party when it comes to the decorative elements.
The garden will be decorated with Union Jack bunting.
Other design touches will include classic crown decorations as well as flower garlands.
Finally, a huge amount of care has been put into ensuring that there is appropriate entertainment for all guests during the posh do.
Hope has crafted a list of coronation-appropriate activities, so those who want to get involved in classic party games throughout the day will be well catered for.
She said: ‘We’re going to play a family game of rounders and hopscotch with the kids.’
Also on offer is a pin the crown on the king game, as well as a royal quiz.
Hope has also crafted a cheeky game that references Charles’ self-described ‘sausage fingers’.
She explained: ‘[We will also be playing a] ‘kings sausage finger’ game that I’ve made up, where you have to use sausages to pick things up quicker than your opponent.
Guests who’d prefer a rather more sedate day, will be able to watch the coronation action as it happens.
‘For entertainment, we have a screen set up in the garden so we can watch the formation and then we have big speakers to play some party music,’ she explained.
Hope’s party is set to be a truly lavish bash, which she says is appropriate for the scale of the occasion. As she said: ‘It’s not everyday someone becomes king’.
When it comes to party advice, she said: ‘If you’re in two minds about celebrating, I would just say go for it.
‘Coronations don’t come around often. Get as many friends and family around as you like, it can be as big or small as you like.’
One of the main things to bear in mind, Hope says, is that this is an opportunity to enjoy a positive day.
‘After a few years of ups and downs with covid, the economy and the queen passing away I think it will be great for everyone to have a day of celebrating the country they reside,’ she said.
‘Let’s come together as a nation to celebrate traditions and welcome in the future with our new king.’
She concluded: ‘It will be a day marked in history so it would be great to share some food, drinks and treats with the people you love.’
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