King Charles and Queen Camilla honour people involved in planning the late Queen’s funeral and the King’s Coronation in a reception at Buckingham Palace

Charles and Camilla hosted esteemed guests at Buckingham Palace today
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The King and Queen have hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to thank those involved in the planning and staging of the late Queen’s funeral and the coronation.

Charles and Camilla welcomed those who worked on Operation London Bridge and Operation Golden Orb, inviting representatives from Government bodies, the church, police forces, the media and civil institutions.

Guests at the royal gathering on Thursday included legendary composer Sir Karl Jenkins – who was hilariously accused of being Meghan Markle in disguise at the king and queen’s Coronation earlier this year.

He appeared in high spirits alongside the king as they both chatted away to various guests, while the Princess Royal was also in attendance.

Volunteers, musicians and support staff were also seen at the event, alongside those involved in the behind-the-scenes planning and operational running of the historic royal occasions.

The King and Queen have hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to thank those involved in the planning and staging of the late Queen’s funeral and the coronation

Charles and Camilla welcomed those who worked on the events – titled Operation London Bridge and Operation Golden Orb

The Princess Royal was also in attendance and was photographed in high spirits as she donned a white shift dress and black gloves

The king was dapper in a navy blue suit, paired with a grey and blue polka dot tie and a silk pocket square.

He teamed the look with a crisp pinstripe shirt and black leather lace up shoes, as well as a gold signet ring and wristwatch.

For the occasion, Queen Camilla donned a dazzling white dress which she accessorised with a crystallised crown brooch.

She paired the dress with black and white round toe pumps, and sported a pair of pearl drop down earrings and what appeared to be a blue Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra bracelet.

Her ever stylish sister-in-law Princess Anne also opted for a minimalist style, wearing a cream shift dress and leather heeled pumps.

The royal family were snapped delivering warm gestures of thanks as they greeted all in attendance and snapped photos with guests.

Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September last year set in motion the long-held London Bridge blueprint – a 12-day run of meticulous arrangements, with a lying in state, vigils and a grand state funeral, all played out on a public stage.

Charles and Camilla were crowned eight months later in May this year in a deeply religious ceremony, codenamed Operation Golden Orb, followed by a weekend of celebrations.

Guests included legendary composer Sir Karl Jenkins (pictured centre) who was hilariously accused of being Meghan Markle in disguise at the King and Queen’s Coronation earlier this year

King Charles also mingled with Getty Images Royal Photographer, Chris Jackson (pictured)

The king appeared in a cheery mood as he shook hands with his guests during the reception

The Palace said: ‘The reception will offer an opportunity for Their Majesties and other members of the royal family to thank and recognise some of the many external organisations involved for their work and efforts during these events.’

The final farewell to the late Queen, the nation’s longest reigning monarch, was held in Westminster Abbey on September 19 2022, and was attended by prime ministers, presidents and royals from across the world.

It was the nation’s first state funeral for more than half a century, with the last one held for wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

More than 2,700 military personnel took part in the procession or lined the route to the abbey.

The Queen’s coffin was placed on a 123-year-old gun carriage towed by 98 Royal Navy sailors in a tradition dating back to the funeral of Queen Victoria, with 40 sailors marching behind to act as a brake.

A moving committal service was held later the same day at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle for 800 guests, with the royal family joined by members of the Queen’s household past and present and personal staff from across her private estates.

Volunteers, musicians and support staff were also seen at the event, alongside those involved in the behind-the-scenes planning and operational running of the historic royal occasions

Princess Anne opted for a minimalist style, wearing a cream dress and leather heeled pumps

Bodies across government, the church, policing, media and civil institutions were also recognised for their contribution to the events

Queen Camilla was photographed attending the elite reception alongside her husband

With the late Queen dying at Balmoral in Scotland, it also triggered Operation Unicorn – a host of poignant ceremonial events in Edinburgh and the practical arrangements for the return of the monarch’s coffin by RAF plane to London.

Operation Marquee covered the four days of the Queen’s lying in state, focusing on the arrangements inside Westminster Hall, including ceremonial aspects, services and vigils, while Operation Feather was the plan for managing the queues outside the lying in state, with a quarter of a million people eventually paying their respects.

And Operation Spring Tide dealt with the King’s first key trips as monarch around the UK to the home nations ahead of the funeral.

In May this year, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned in Westminster Abbey on a historic day of celebration.

The event brought together around 100 heads of state, kings and queens, celebrities including pop stars Lionel Richie and Katy Perry and actresses Dame Judi Dench and Dame Emma Thompson, everyday heroes, and family and friends of the couple.

The queen glowed with delight as she entertained and chatted with esteemed guests

The king was dapper in a navy blue suit and a crisp pinstripe shirt – and he enjoyed a glass of something while chatting to guests

He teamed the look with a grey and blue polka dot tie and a silk pocket square

The Armed Forces staged the biggest ceremonial military operation since the late Queen’s 1953 coronation, culminating in a 4,000-strong procession of servicemen and women which wound its way through the heart of London.

Tens of thousands of people turned out to see the pomp and pageantry, with Charles and Camilla processing through the streets in the Gold State Coach.

The couple, in lavish robes and wearing their crowns, took to the palace balcony to see the crowds, joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and the coronation pages and Ladies in Attendance.

The late Queen’s funeral and lying in state cost the UK Government an estimated £161.7 million.

It comes after King Charles issued a passionate plea to the nation not to let the toxic ‘rancour and acrimony’ of online debate corrode society in a speech that paid tribute to the good old British sense of humour – and he even managed to poke fun at himself, in a quip about his fountain pen mishap last year.

For the occasion, Queen Camilla donned a dazzling white dress which she accessorised with a crystallised crown brooch

She paired the dress with black and white round toe pumps, and sported a pair of pearl drop down earrings

The queen also wore what appeared to be a blue Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra bracelet – retailed at £3650

The royal couple were snapped delivering the cheeriest of smiles as they greeted all in attendance and snapped photos with guests

In a ‘state of the nation’ speech at Mansion House in the City of London, Charles confessed he had spent much of the last year since his accession ‘reflecting’ on what makes the UK so special – and the perils that face it.

The monarch arrived with Queen Camilla at the venue to take part in a traditional ceremony in which UK sovereigns have taken part since the 17th century on the year of their Coronation.

During his address, the King told dignitaries from the City that he believes the country stands at a ‘watershed’ moment, not least when the natural instinct of its people to pull together and co-operate risks being drowned out by the ‘shouting’ of the ‘digital sphere where civilised debate too often gives way to rancour and acrimony’.

He cautioned that people owe it to each other to listen to views other than their own with ‘politeness and respect’ and to be ‘passionate, but not pugnacious’, avoiding the desire to ‘scapegoat’ those who are trying to serve.

The monarch’s speech marks his first official visit to the City of London as King.

He and Queen Camilla, who was dressed in a dazzling black Bruce Oldfield gown and the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, were guests of honour at a glittering banquet to recognise the work of The City and its Livery Companies, in a tradition started in 1689 with King William III.

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