A closer look at royal Scandinavian style at the Coronation

On the morning of 6th May, royals from around the world arrived at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. As anticipated, it was the most formal of affairs with a parade of sparkling gowns and dashing military regalia, exuding generations of regal glamour and heritage dressing.

Given it was the first British coronation in 70 years, attendees came dressed to impress. And whilst European royals have historically been excluded from the crowning of a new monarch (due to centuries of convention), King Charles decided to ultimately break this royal tradition, making way for kings and queens to join in the pageantry of a royal coronation.

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From Sweden’s dashing king in a regal military getup to fashion aficionado Crown Princess Mary in stunning purple, this historic event had fashion consumers from around the world utterly beguiled by the lineup of regal attires – definitely, a sartorial feast for the senses.

Below, Vogue Scandinavia unveils what our Scandi royals wore to the historic event.

Among the regal number of attendees was King Carl XVI of Sweden and his daughter Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Seated as honoured guests front row at Westminster Abbey (due to their close family ties with the British monarchy), the pair both donned an appropriately regal hue. King Carl XVI was clad in a military uniform – with Victoria by his side in a regal blue belted pencil dress by Pär Engsheden with tea-length sleeves, perfectly coordinated with a pillar box hat by Swedish designer Susan Szatmáry, finished with matching Jimmy Choo heels and gloves by Handsome Stockholm.

It’s been over 50 years since King Carl XVI experienced this sort of pomp and circumstance, as he had his own coronation back in 1973, crowned at the age of 27. And while the British and Swedish royal families are not often seen together, given the demands of their respective positions, there’s a strong connection between the houses, as both royal lines trace back to Queen Victoria.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is now the longest-reigning and only female monarch in Europe. Sadly, Queen Margrethe could not attend the historic coronation of King Charles II due to recently undergoing ‘extensive’ back surgery, so her son Crown Prince Frederik and daughter-in-law (and fashion aficionado) Crown Princess Mary attended in her stead. Crown Prince Frederik sported a military regalia in honour of the momentous occasion, while Crown Princess Mary opted for a deep purple bespoke ensemble by Danish fashion designer Soeren Le Schmidt, coupled with a matching veiled headpiece, Gianvito Rossi heels and dazzling diamond and turquoise brooch and earrings.

Related: All the Scandinavian and European royals who turned out for the coronation

Spotted amongst the sprinkling of Scandinavian royals were Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway. To mark the historic occasion, the princess wore a bespoke dress by Norwegian designer Peter Dundas in an understated blush hue, detailed with tea-length sleeves and a bow detail at the shoulder. In keeping with the monochrome scheme, the princess paired the look with a pillbox hat, pale pink veil, Paula Rowan leather opera gloves, Louboton heels and a matching nude clutch by Vernon Bruce Joeksema. The Crown Prince sported, in true royalty code, a traditional military uniform.

Since Crown Prince Haakon is first in line to the throne of Norway after his father, King Harald V, feelings of anticipation must have been running high, as the royal will most likely one day find himself celebrating his own coronation. And though the Norwegian and British monarchies are not often spotted together, the royal families do in fact share close familial ties – in fact, King Harald V was second cousins with the late Queen Elizabeth II.

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