Royalty and dignitaries from around the world attend glittering party at the palace his majesty, happy and relaxed, hosts reception

T he King welcomed royals and dignitaries from around the world to Buckingham Palace for a glittering reception the night before his coronation.

Joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, His Majesty mingled with guests in the ornate state rooms, hours before they would all gather inside Westminster Abbey again for the ceremony.

Seemingly undaunted by what lay ahead the next day, the King looked happy and relaxed as he chatted and laughed with fellow royals, including Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

FIRST LADIES

Kate, who had earlier joined a royal walkabout outside the palace and accompanied her husband and the King at a special lunch for realm Governors General and Prime Ministers, was seen smiling and laughing as she chatted to guests.

The Princess, who wore a royal blue Self-Portrait dress teamed with the Queen Mother’s sapphire and diamond earrings, later tweeted a photo of herself alongside US First Lady Jill Biden and Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, who were both in London to represent their husbands.

“Lovely to see @FLOTUS and@ZelenskaUA this evening”, she wrote, alongside the US and Ukrainian flags, coronation hashtag and a crown emoji.

There was no shortage of glamour at the event, with Princess Charlene chic in lilac chiffon, accessorised with Manolo Blahnik silver sandals, and Letizia in green Victoria Beckham and Magrit navy pumps.

GLOBAL LEADERS

Also among the guests were King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan, the Sultan of Brunei, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

From Greece’s royal family were Queen Anne-Marie and Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, who joined the Netherlands’s Princess Beatrix and her granddaughter Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, King Philippe of Belgium and his daughter Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant.

Other royals included King Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun of Bhutan, King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida of Thailand, Crown Prince Fumihito of Japan and h