The King has recalled how his late mother used her heavy Imperial State Crown to bathe him and his sister, Princess Anne, at night while practicing for his coronation in 1953.
And he admits to feeling “a little anxious” about the weight of his and whether he would “wobble” while walking through Westminster Abbey last year.
The candid memories emerged when she met a group of notable Canadian women who were carefully selected to attend Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.
Last year, 12 of them returned to the UK to retrace their steps – even though their average age is now 89 – and were surprised when they were invited to Buckingham Palace, with Charles making a surprise appearance.
A moving new film, Coronation Girls, follows their story from the 1950s to the present day and how the experience shaped some of their lives forever.
In the summer of 1953, Canadian businessman and philanthropist Garfield Weston sponsored 50 young women from across Canada to travel to the United Kingdom.
The group, who were around 17 years old and in many cases had not even left their hometowns before, crossed the Atlantic on the Empress of France to reach Liverpool, where they boarded a train to London to attend the historic event.
The women describe their journey as “magical” and “life-changing”, vividly remembering the moment the new Queen passed them in the golden state carriage during the procession.
Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in June 1952.
The King told the women that his grandmother, the Queen Mother, told him what was happening during the coronation ceremony (pictured: The Queen Mother, Prince Charles and Princess Margaret watch the Queen’s coronation).
The candid memories emerged when she met a group of notable Canadian women who were carefully selected to attend Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.
“The crowd was so happy and so loud that they 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.
Of the 50 women who first arrived in the UK, 16 have since died.
In June 2022, the remaining group wrote a letter to Queen, then aged 96, asking if they could have tea with her when they came to the UK. Sadly, she died four months later, before her dream could be realized.
But the journey still continued in December 2023, when they met their son, now King.
In the 90-minute documentary, King Charles tells the women that he could remember “quite a bit” of his mother’s coronation, despite being only four years old at the time.
He said: ‘My grandmother explained things to me while I was there.
“I can remember quite a bit, yeah, well, mostly how I was dressed and what the barber did to me earlier.”
Smiling as she is introduced to each of the women, including climate activist and author Yvonne Harris and former adoption worker Carol Bowyer Shipley, she jokes about the practicalities of wearing the crown.
In the 90-minute documentary, King Charles tells the women that he could remember “quite a bit” of his mother’s coronation, despite being only four years old at the time.
In the summer of 1953, 50 young women from across Canada were sponsored by Canadian businessman and philanthropist Garfield Weston to travel to the United Kingdom.
The group, who were around 17 years old and in many cases had not even left their hometowns before, crossed the Atlantic on the Empress of France to reach Liverpool, where they boarded a train to London to attend the historic event.
King Charles III is crowned with St Edward’s Crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, on May 6 last year.
The King admitted to the women that the crown is ‘very heavy’ and reveals that it weighs five pounds
He said: “I remember it all very well then, because I remember my sister and I had bath time at night.”
‘My mom used to come to bath time with the crown to practice. You have to get used to how heavy it is. I have never forgotten it, I still remember it vividly.
And he added: “It is very important to use it for a certain time, because then you get used to it.”
—But the large one you are crowned with, the Crown of St. Edward, weighs five pounds.
‘He’s a lot heavier and taller, so there’s always that feeling of being a little anxious, in case he wobbles.
“You have to carry it, you have to look ahead.”
The king said he was “very glad to have had the opportunity to see you.”
“I didn’t realize you had come so many years ago,” he said. ‘It is a great pleasure to meet you all, after all these years. Take care, God bless you.’
When told that he must return soon, the king laughed: “Yes, I am still alive!”
Sources have stressed that it was simply a joke by the King, not realizing that he would be diagnosed with cancer just over a month later.
Mrs Bowyer Shipley said of the meeting, which left some of them in tears: “It’s as surreal as being elected in 1953. It really connected with us.” “There was humor and grace and we laughed a little, like he was a friend.”
The King and Queen have been sent the film to watch. Her Majesty had to cancel her plans to visit Canada this year due to her cancer diagnosis, but hopes to visit the country “in not too long.”
One royal attendee said: “It’s a really beautiful lyrical piece of cinema.” “It’s not a real documentary, but it is incredibly, deeply moving and heartwarming and highlights both the enduring friendship between the women and Canada and the United Kingdom, and how the Royal Family can cement those bonds,” she said.
The documentary, from Canadian filmmaker Douglas Arrowsmith, will air on Boxing Day in Canada and will be released internationally next year.