How King Charles' Latest Change Affects Female Members of the Royal Family
Following the Japanese emperor and empress' state visit with King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, the monarch's latest major royal change has come to light—and it primarily affects female members of the family.
During their meeting, the queen was spotted boasting a brand new accessory amid her collection of historic jewels previously owned by Queen Elizabeth. A broach on her chest featured a painted portrait of the king, lined with diamonds and backed by a pale blue ribbon.
According to Newsweek, it marks the debut of King Charles's official Royal Family Order, which is something each monarch presents to working female members of the family, to be worn for official state occasions.
Traditionally, as started by King George IV in the early 1800s, the orders are painted onto ivory, which is an incredibly strong and scratch-resistant material found in mammal tusks that has eviscerated wild African elephant numbers from several million to around 400,000, according to the BBC.
As a longtime, vocal proponent of conservationism, the king opted to swap ivory for polymin, a type of plastic used by artists, for his orders. It's not the first time an order has been painted on an alternative material—that honor goes to the order presented to Kate Middleton by Queen Elizabeth, which was the first one ever painted on glass, because of her and Prince William's conservation work—but Charles is assumed to be the first monarch to forgo ivory altogether.
We won't know for sure until he presents the next order, nor will we know who is to receive it until they do, as the palace does not announce that information ahead of time.
According to Newsweek, Queen Elizabeth presented 15 throughout her lifetime, including to her mother, Queen Elizabeth; her sister, Princess Margaret; her daughter, Princess Anne; her daughter-in-law, Princess Diana; and to Camilla. The Princess of Wales was the last known recipient.
The king's latest change is just another in a long line of them, including multiple updates to his Sandringham Estate, an unprecedented decision about Balmoral Castle, the revision of a 50-year-old tradition to his charity, and an update to Windsor Castle that caused a reasonable amount of upset to his neighbors.
Next: Prince William Shares ‘Wonderful and Heartwarming’ Throwback Photo With King Charles
