Description
The king and queen consort each have four pages of honor who support them on coronation day: familiar schoolchildren or close relatives. Among them are Charles' eldest grandson, Prince George, the nine-year-old future monarch, as well as Camilla's three grandchildren. The Queen Consort will also be assisted by two ladies, her sister Annabel Elliot and her trusted friend, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, whose role it will be to support her through the service elements.
As the procession of the King and Camilla, their regalia, senior officials and other dignitaries make their way through the nave and choir of Westminster Abbey, the pages will wear the robes of some of the key people present.
The king's pages are: his grandson George; Nicholas Barclay, 13, grandson of Sarah Troughton, one of the Queen's companions; Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, son of the Marquess of Cholmondeley, also known as the filmmaker David Rocksavage, and a friend of the Prince of Wales; and Ralph Tollemache, 12.
The Queen's pages of honor will be: her three grandsons, twins Gus and Louis, 13, from her daughter Laura Lopes, and Freddy, 13, from her son Tom Parker Bowles; and his great-nephew, Arthur Elliot, 10.
Food writer Tom Parker Bowles said of the role of Freddy: "I don't think he knows how big he's going to be. I don't think he makes sense of the occasion.
He declared on The News Agents podcast: «This is a 13-year-old boy who loves football, a supporter of Spurs… Donc, your concerns concerning the manager of Spurs et la parte when our sommes debut et vous savez, ce genre things…
"There is no reason for our children to be in the press, so we have deliberately kept them out of anything to do with this...
"I think there will be a lot of rehearsals before that and he does it with his cousins, his two best friends and another kind of first cousin, my first cousin's son, to get to know each other."
The nine-year-old 12th Duke of Devonshire served as a page at the Queen's coronation in 1953 and was tasked with carrying the train for his grandmother, Mary Cavendish, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and Mistress of the Gowns.
In an interview with the Sotheby's website, he said: "My uniform, still at Chatsworth, consisted of a pale yellow frock coat with blue cuffs, a lace jabot at the throat, cream trousers, white silk stockings, held together by a garter belt (garter) that I was terrified my classmates would find out about: black pumps with red heels and silver buckles and a sword on the belt.
The eight pages chosen by the king are likely to wear something similar when they perform their duties on the great day.
Interior designer Elliot, 74, is close to Camilla and has appeared on rare occasions at royal events with her older brother.
During an ITV documentary shown last year, the couple got a glimpse of their childhood as they returned to Hall Place, their grandparents' former home in Hampshire.
The brothers remember running down a hill, catching butterflies in jars, and dressing appropriately for their strict grandmother.
It emerged on the show that Camilla buried her younger sister's beloved teddy bear, known as "Tiddy Bar," in the park and only fessed up decades later.
Ms Elliot quipped: "I haven't forgiven him, it still hurts to this day."
Lady Lansdowne, 68, was named one of Camilla's six queen escorts in November.
Friends support Camilla in carrying out her official duties.
Lady Lansdowne, an interior designer known professionally as Fiona Shelburne, lives at Bowood House in Wiltshire, near Camilla's private country home Raymill, with her husband Charlie, the 9th Marquess.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, he described how Camilla was hurt by the Duke of Sussex's portrayal of her in his memoir Spare.
"Of course it bothers him, of course it hurts," said Lady Lansdowne. "But she doesn't give up. Her philosophy is always: 'Don't do anything about it and it will work; The less said, the sooner it will be fixed."
PA wire
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