Sophia Michaels
In other words, the King of England and the King of Scotland both have a right to their own crowning tradition.
Two videos of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s crowning surfaced on Twitter, and their wildly different reactions were at full display. The clip of King Charles III showed him looking as serene as ever when the crown was bestowed upon him by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. In the video of Queen Camilla, however, she appeared a little shaky when the crown was placed on her head. As the crown approached, she moved back slightly and nervously adjusted her posture. As it was placed upon her head, she made an uncertain gesture with her hand before sliding her finger under the crown.
Body language expert Mark Bowden examined this tradition, calling attention to the differences between King Charles and Queen Camilla’s responses. Bowden described King Charles III’s calmness upon receiving the crown, saying, “When Charles receives the crown, his head is already slightly bowed, displaying reverence for the weighty symbol he will bear…” He added, “However, when the crown lands on Charles’ head, he supports its weight fully, perhaps displaying his commitment to the duty ahead.” On the other hand, Bowden explained that Queen Camilla’s wobbly adjustments and hand motions were most likely due to fear “about the crown’s steadiness.” He said, “It is fair to say Charles shows more control and composure than Camilla around this event.”
After all, Bowden concluded, “The weight of any crown is both physical, mental and iconic. Charles looks to be wearing all of these well at this stage.”
