King Charles III apologised to friends, family over scaled-down coronation

King Charles III's scaled-down coronation on May 6 means he was not able to invite some family members and friends including Lady Pamela Hicks.

Lady Pamela may have close ties to the British Royal Family being Prince Philip's first cousin, but she is not among the 2,000 guests invited to the coronation. Her daughter, India Hicks, 55, said that despite not getting an invite, her mother is not offended. She also revealed that His Majesty apologised.

She wrote on Instagram along with a photo of her mother who turned 94 on Wednesday, April 19, "One of the King's personal secretaires was passing on a message from the King. They explained that this coronation was to be very different to the Queen's. 8,000 guests would be whittled down to 1,000 alleviating the burden on the state."

India, a British writer and interior designer, continued, "The King was sending his great love and apologies, he was offending many family and friends with the reduced list. My mother was not offended at all."

She then quoted what Lady Pamela said about the monarch's apology, "How very, very sensible. I am going to follow with great interest the events of this new reign." India also included a throwback photo of her mother with a young Queen Elizabeth II.

She concluded her post, "Today my mother turns 94 years old, she must be one of the few remaining people with such a memory intact, about to live through a third coronation. Happy Birthday to my darling Mum."

Lady Pamela and her youngest daughter India were among those who paid their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II during the state funeral on Sept. 19, 2022. India had described the somber invitation as "a privilege."

She wrote alongside a photo of her and her mother taken that day, "To have seen the sun set over Westminster Abbey last night and to return today, beside my mother, for the State Funeral, followed by the Committal Service in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. 'Service in life, hope in death' said the Archbishop of Canterbury. God Bless The Queen. Long Live The King."

Lady Pamela served as a bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II. She is the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the uncle and father figure to Prince Philip. She previously revealed to People her reaction to King George VI's death in 1952, which ultimately made the then 25-year-old Elizabeth the new monarch.

"I remember going and hugging her. And then thinking, 'Oh my goodness, she's Queen' — and going into a deep curtsy," she said.

King Charles III will officially be crowned monarch alongside his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, in London's Westminster Abbey on May 6. The ceremony will be modest compared to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, which had 8,000 guests and was nearly three hours long. There will reportedly only be 2,000 guests and the service will only be 60 minutes long.

Aside from King Charles III's immediate family members, Camila's children Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes will also attend the coronation with their respective families, according to Insider. Meanwhile, others attending include community and charity representatives and state leaders. U.S. President Joe Biden will not attend but his wife, First Lady Jill Biden will go in his place.

In a break with tradition, King Charles III also invited other royal family members from around the world. The royals attending his coronation include Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and his wife, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan, and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. King Carl XVI Gustaff and his daughter Crown Princess Victoria will represent Sweden. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy will also attend the ceremony.