Seasonal flowers from around the UK will adorn Westminster Abbey for the King’s coronation, with arrangements of home-grown blooms and foliage that will bring “gravitas” to the occasion, the floral designer has said.
Shane Connolly, from west Belfast, said his aim was to make the flowers “incredibly personal” to Charles and the Queen Consort as well as showing that UK-grown flowers can be used at an event of this size.
Shane Connolly, from west Belfast, said his aim was to make the flowers “incredibly personal” to Charles and the Queen Consort as well as showing that UK-grown flowers can be used at an event of this size.
Mr Connolly, who created the floral arrangements at Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005 and the Prince and Princess of Wales’s wedding in 2011, was at the abbey on Thursday morning for the arrival of the flowers and said he will be among six people installing the designs right up until early on Saturday morning.
There will be more than 120 varieties of flowers, including lily of the valley and auriculas, which both appeared in Camilla’s wedding bouquet, as well as hellebores which appeared in the King’s buttonhole at his wedding and are a particular favourite of his.
There will be more than 120 varieties of flowers, including lily of the valley and auriculas, which both appeared in Camilla’s wedding bouquet, as well as hellebores which appeared in the King’s buttonhole at his wedding and are a particular favourite of his.
“When so many big events people go to are full of flowers that have been flown halfway around the world, this is British, this is grown in the soil of the kingdom.”
