King Charles and Queen Camilla wore their bright red robes as they attended a service at St Paul’s Cathedral today to celebrate the Order of the British Empire, which recognises people from all walks of life who have been awarded honours
King Charles kept up his packed schedule by donning a striking red robe for a special service at St Paul’s Cathedral today.
Both he and Queen Camilla attended the service of dedication at the cathedral, just a week after Prince Harry was forced to attend another service at the same venue solo for his Invictus Games when he visited the UK last week. At the service today, the King and Queen wore the red robes, which were carried by a page of honour. Almost 2,000 members of the public who are holders of the order’s awards, which include CBEs, OBEs and MBEs attended the event.
Established by King George V in 1917 to reward outstanding contributions to the war effort, the Order of the British Empire now recognises the work of people from all walks of life with well-known honours such as MBEs and OBEs, as well as Knighthoods and Damehoods.
The King is the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire, while Camilla is the Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire. The monarch’s appearance today comes as Charles is filling his diary up with commitments this summer to “make up for lost time” as aides are working round the clock to prepare his diary.
The King is “feeling incredibly positive” about the future as he continues to make his return to duties following his cancer diagnosis and is “keen to get back to work”, royal sources have said.
The monarch is continuing weekly treatment but engaging in regular meetings with palace staff, carrying on with the government Red Boxes and already committing to several high-profile events, including the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations in Normandy, sources have said. He is also planning to attend at least some of the Royal Ascot festival, which starts on June 18.
Buckingham Palace reiterated yesterday that the King’s diary would be managed according to his ongoing treatment and how he was feeling on any given day.
Yesterday, sources said it was “incredibly encouraging” for the King to carry out his first investiture ceremony for five months, with his last one taking place on December 19, a month before he was admitted to hospital for treatment on his prostate. One insider remarked: “The King is in great spirits and as full of positivity as I’ve ever seen him.
“He’s already told aides he is absolutely determined to make several dates in the summer months, including the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations and attend Trooping the Colour (the King’s official birthday celebrations in London on June 15) which is wonderful news. There’s certainly a feeling that he wants to make up for lost time.”
At the same cathedral last week, Harry commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which he set up in 2014 to support injured servicemen and women. It featured a reading from the Duke of Sussex and actor Damian Lewis read a poem. Harry arrived at the Cathedral without any members of the Royal Family, following the announcement King Charles was too busy to reunite with his son during his trip to the UK.
