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King Charles shared childhood memories of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, wearing Crown Jewels at the time of the practice bath before her coronation.
Charles is seen reminiscing in a new documentary, where he meets the women who traveled the world to attend his mother’s coronation in the summer of 1953.
Although he was only four years old at the time, Charles he told the group he could remember “quite a few” of the events, including how the then 25-year-old Elizabeth prepared for him.
“My grandmother explained things to me while I was there,” he said. “I can remember a lot, yeah, well, especially what I was dressed in and what the barber did to me earlier.”
He added: “Then I remember everything well, because I remember that my sister and I took a bath in the evening,
“My mom used to come swimming wearing a crown to practice. You have to get used to how heavy it is. I never forgot, I still remember vividly.”
The king continued to wear the same 17th-century crown at his own coronation at Westminster Abbey in May 2023.
Speaking about his own experiences wearing the St Edward’s Crown 70 years after his mother, he told the women: “It’s very important to wear it for a period of time because then you get used to it.
“But the big one you’re crowned with, St. Edward’s crown, weighs five pounds. It’s a lot heavier and taller, so there’s always that feeling of slight anxiety, in case it swings.
“You have to wear it, you have to look straight ahead.”
The film follows the story of 50 young women from across Canada sponsored by Canadian businessman Garfield Weston to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in the summer of 1953.
The group, aged around 17, crossed the Atlantic on the Empress of France to reach Liverpool where they boarded a train to London for the historic event.
Coronation Girls follows 12 women, whose average age is 89, as they retrace their steps and return to London in December 2023, where Charles surprises them during a visit to Buckingham Palace.
The women told the documentary that their journey to Elizabeth’s coronation was “life-changing”, “magic” and described the moment the new queen passed them in a golden state carriage during the procession.
“The crowd was so joyful and so loud that it drowned out the marching bands,” said one.
At the time, the late queen was about nine years older than the girls, which some said helped them feel a special connection to the new monarch.
In June 2022, the group wrote a letter to Elizabeth asking if they could have tea with her a few months before she died.
The documentary, which explores themes of enduring friendship and the impact the historic event had on young women, will air on Boxing Day on WNED PBS in Canada. Produced by FeltFilm, directed by Canadian director Douglas Arrowsmith, it will be released internationally next year.