New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will represent India at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the United Kingdom next month. The event, to be held on May 6, will mark nearly seven decades since Queen Elizabeth II’s last coronation in 1953, when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru represented India. Although Britain had initially invited President Draupadi Murmu, Vice President Dhankhar will attend instead.
The invitation for the coronation, designed by Andrew Jamieson, featured the Green Man motif, an ancient figure from British folklore symbolizing spring and rebirth, to mark the new reign. The invitation includes the coat of arms of Britain, symbolic flowers, and a British wildflower meadow and wildlife.
It is also the first time Camilla will be called Queen.
British PM Rishi Sunak and his Indian-origin wife Akshata Murthy will lead the procession carrying the UK flag at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III. The flag will be carried by a high-ranking RAF cadet, according to Buckingham Palace.
The ceremony will take place at the Abbey Church of Westminster, with 2,000 guests in attendance. However, Camilla will not wear the Kohinoor diamond-encrusted tiara during the proceedings due to its controversial history. The diamond was obtained by the British during India’s colonial period and is seen as a symbol of the country’s exploitation and plunder.
In September last year, President Draupadi Murmu visited London to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sign a condolence book on behalf of the Indian government following her death in Scotland at the age of 96.