The King joked about “feeling slightly anxious” about the weight of the crown and it wobbling, as he spoke to women who attended his mother’s coronation in a new documentary.
The film follows the story of 50 young women from across Canada who were sponsored by Canadian businessman Garfield Weston to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in the summer of 1953.
The group, who were around 17 years in age, sailed across the Atlantic on the Empress of France to reach Liverpool where they boarded a train down to London for the historic event.
Coronation Girls tracks 12 of the women, whose average age is 89, as they retraced their steps and returned to London in December 2023, where they were surprised by Charles during a visit to Buckingham Palace.
In the 90-minute documentary, the King told the women he could remember “quite a lot” of his mother’s coronation, despite being just four years old at the time.
He said: “My grandmother explained things to me while I was there.
“I can remember quite a lot, yes, well, particularly what I was dressed in and what the barber did to me before.”
Charles beamed as he was introduced to each of the women, including climate activist and author Yvonne Harris and former adoption worker Carol Shipley, and joked about the practicalities of wearing the crown.
He said: “I remember it all so well then, because I remember my sister and I had bath time in the evening.
“My mama used to come up at bath time wearing the crown to practice. You have to get used to how heavy it is. I’ve never forgotten, I can still remember it vividly.”
He added: “It is very important to wear it for a certain amount of time, because you get used to it then.
“But the big one that you’re crowned with, the St Edward’s Crown, it weighs five pounds. It is much heavier and taller, so there’s always that feeling of feeling slightly anxious, in case it wobbles.
“You have to carry it, you have to look straight ahead.”
The King was crowned in the 17th century golden St Edward’s Crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury at his coronation in Westminster Abbey in May 2023.
The women told the documentary that their trip to Elizabeth’s coronation was “life-changing”, “magic” and described the moment the new Queen passed them in the gold state coach during procession.
“The crowds were so joyous and so loud they drowned out the marching bands,” one said.
At the time, the late Queen was around nine years older than the girls, which, some said, helped them feel a special connection with the new monarch.
In June 2022, the group wrote a letter to Elizabeth where they asked if they could have tea with her a few months before she died.
The documentary, which explores themes of enduring friendship and the impact the historic event had on the young women, will be aired on Boxing Day on WNED PBS in Canada.
It was directed by Canadian filmmaker Douglas Arrowsmith and will be released internationally next year.
The film was produced by FeltFilm.
