Community representatives who have been invited to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla have expressed their joy at the invitation. The couple have invited 850 people to the 6 May ceremony, including 450 British Empire Medal recipients and 400 young people from groups chosen by the Royal Family.
Julian and Maria Sturdy-Morton, who ran a lockdown food delivery service, said it was “humbling” to be asked. At the start of the Covid pandemic, the couple set up a network connecting wholesalers with households unable to secure a supermarket delivery or get to the shops. Quality food which would otherwise have gone to waste reached 500 households in south west London, including 100 people who could not afford to pay. In January 2022, they were awarded the British Empire Medal.
Max Woosey, dubbed “the boy in the tent”, has also been invited. He raised more than £750,000 for North Devon Hospice by camping in his garden for three years. Buckingham Palace said that many of the 450 BEM recipients chosen to attend the coronation had been “instrumental in providing services and support to their local communities during the Covid-19 lockdowns”.
The 400 young people invited will watch the ceremony via a “special private screening” in St Margaret’s Church. Half of them are from groups handpicked by the King and Queen Consort, such as the Prince’s Trust, the Prince’s Foundation, Barnardo’s, the National Literacy Trust and the Ebony Horse Club. The rest will come from organisations chosen by the government in recognition of the stewarding and first aid services they are to provide on the day – the Scout Association, Girlguiding UK, St John Ambulance and the National Citizen Service.
The official coronation service invitation was designed by heraldic artist Andrew Jamieson and unveiled earlier this week. Community representatives who have been invited to the coronation have spoken of their joy and excitement at being part of such a momentous occasion.
Julian and Maria Sturdy-Morton, who ran a lockdown food delivery service, said it was “humbling” to be asked. They set up a network connecting wholesalers with households unable to secure a supermarket delivery or get to the shops, helping 500 households in south west London, including 100 people who could not afford to pay. In January 2022, they were awarded the British Empire Medal.
Max Woosey, dubbed “the boy in the tent”, has also been invited. He raised more than £750,000 for North Devon Hospice by camping in his garden for three years. 400 young people have also been invited to watch the ceremony via a “special private screening” in St Margaret’s Church. Half of them are from groups handpicked by the King and Queen Consort, while the other half come from organisations chosen by the government in recognition of their services.
The official coronation service invitation was designed by heraldic artist Andrew Jamieson and unveiled earlier this week. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, said those invited had “gone above and beyond for their local area, and… will now have the chance to represent those communities at a seminal moment in our history”. Community representatives who have been invited to the coronation have expressed their joy at being part of such an important event.