Camilla continues late Queen’s legacy by laying Coronation bouquet on Grave of Unknown Soldier

The bouquet – which Camilla did not carry – has been placed on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
AP
Alison Kershaw7 May 2023

The Queen’s coronation bouquet has been laid at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, Buckingham Palace has said.

The flowers were placed on the grave at Westminster Abbey at Camilla’s request following Saturday’s coronation service at the church.

A tweet from the King and Queen’s official twitter account – @RoyalFamily – shows a delicate bouquet of yellow, white and pink flowers sitting on the tomb.

It is a simple-tied bunch of English spring flowers including auriculas and lily of the valley – both of which featured in the Queen’s wedding bouquet in 2005 – along with hellebores, which the King wore in his buttonhole during the couple’s wedding 18 years ago and are a particular favourite of his.

Jasmine and wallflowers add to the sweet scent of the bouquet, which was created by Shane Connolly.

The Queen Mother was the first royal to start the tradition in 1923, when she placed her bouquet at the grave of her brother Fergus, who was killed in 1915 at the Battle of Loos during World War One.

The gesture began a royal wedding tradition which has been honoured by brides ever since.

Camilla did not carry the flowers on coronation day.

Mr Connolly, from west Belfast, also made the floral arrangements which adorned Westminster Abbey for the coronation service.

He previously said his aim with the arrangements of seasonal home-grown blooms and foliage was to make them “incredibly personal” to Charles and Camilla as well as showing that UK-grown flowers can be used at an event of this size.

Mr Connolly also created the floral arrangements at Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005 and the Prince and Princess of Wales’s wedding in 2011.

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