Another day, another stunning photo out of Buckingham Palace. This time, it's a striking shot of King Charles and Queen Camilla welcoming guests from the diplomatic community to the palace. But I noticed something strange about it: In the photos, the king, 75, is clearly walking a few paces ahead of his wife, 77, rather than next to her.
Buckingham Palace Releases Gorgeous Photo of King Charles & Queen Camilla Walking—but I Noticed Something Off About It
much to think about
Published Nov 22, 2024
•3:10pm
Chris Jackson/getty images
In photos, the monarch walks through an open door a couple steps ahead of his wife, who wears a dark blue gown and show-stopping diamond and aquamarine tiara (more on that later). After a bit of digging, though, I found out that this positioning is actually pretty normal: It's royal protocol for the monarch to walk ahead of all others. Just as Queen Elizabeth was required to walk ahead of Prince Philip, King Charles—as the sovereign—precedes Queen Camilla.
pool/getty images
Regardless of their marching order, there's no denying the photos are beautiful. The palace captioned the slideshow, "Last night The King, The Queen and The Prince of Wales welcomed guests from the Diplomatic community to Buckingham Palace for the annual Diplomatic Corps Reception. There are more than 170 High Commissioners and Ambassadors based in London at any given time, and each one has an Audience with The King shortly after taking up his or her role."
According to the Royal Collection Trust, "Diplomatic Receptions are the largest annual receptions at Buckingham Palace, with a guest list numbering around 1,000. The invitation list is coordinated by the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps and invitations are sent to all the ambassadors and high commissioners at the foreign missions in London, as well as past Prime Ministers, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and other public figures."
pool/getty images
After that first shot of King Charles and Queen Camilla, the palace included a close-up of the queen's face, and I can't stop staring at that tiara—which has an interesting story behind it. As Senior Editor of News and Entertainment Greta Heggeness pointed out, the tiara was first seen back in 1970 on Queen Elizabeth II, and it wasn’t seen in public again until 2012, and then again in 2013. After 2013, the tiara took another hiatus and was MIA until Queen Camilla stepped out it in the other day—her first time wearing the headpiece.
The slideshow also features a photo of the king shaking hands with a guest and Prince William, 42, smiling and chatting with guests.
AARON CHOWN/getty images
The future monarch's appearance—sans wife Kate Middleton—comes on the heels of his visit with Homewards Newport, where he learned about the organization's efforts to prevent women's homelessness.
So while the photo of the king and queen initially gave me a bit of pause, there's a totally rational explanation for why the monarch and his wife weren't walking side by side. Oh, royals and their, shall I say...specific rules.