A nice invitation

Whatever your views on the monarchy, it's hard to deny that the official invitations to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla aren't a thing of beauty.

Designed and hand-illustrated by heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson, it's printed on recycled paper and contains an interesting mix of symbolism. Front and centre is, for me, the biggest surprise - an appearance of the Green Man.

Buckingham Palace states that: 

'Central to the design is the motif of the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign. The shape of the Green Man, crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.' 

These, of course, are the Tudor Rose of England, the Thistle of Scotland, the Daffodil of Wales and the Shamrock of Northern Ireland. There are acorns too - perhaps as a nod to the next queen as the Middleton family crest features acorns. Interestingly, the Green Man - a name coined by Julia Somerset, Lady Raglan in 1939 - is also a potent symbol for the environmentalist movement. And also for pagans, perhaps reflecting the secular nature of modern Britain - after all, the 2021 census showed that more than 50% of UK adults have 'no religion' while one of the largest growth areas was paganism, shamanism and druidry.

The fact that the rest of the invite is a celebration of British wildlife is rather lovely. There's a great deal of symbolism in the choice of wildflowers too. Lily of the valley was Queen Elizabeth II's favourite flower. Meanwhile, Cornflowers are associated with hope and anticipation, Dog roses with love, pleasure and beauty, Bluebells with humility, constancy, and gratitude, and Rosemary, for remembrance. I'm told that the Strawberries were included as they are redolent of warm summers and favourite desserts. 

Among the wildlife you'll spot a robin, a bee, a butterfly, a ladybird and a wren as well as the heraldic animals of England and Scotland - the lion and the unicorn. The wild boar relates to the family crest of Camilla's father, Major Bruce Shand. 

Other elements worth noting are the letter 'C' - presumably to represent both Charles and Camilla - and the fact that a few items (the bluebells, shamrocks etc.) are in groups of three. Presumably, this is a reference to the fact that Charles is the third monarch to bear the name. 

All in all, it's a very interesting piece of artwork.