When King Charles processes from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for his coronation on 6 May, none of us will have any idea what he is wearing beneath his ceremonial military uniform.
But should the king wish to commission a pair of lucky briefs for the big day, he can draw inspiration from 24 renowned artists and illustrators who have created their vision of the royal coronation pants.
The artworks are being auctioned to raise money for the Trussell Trust, which runs food banks in the UK, and the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for those affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in February.
Perhaps Charles will model his undies on those drawn by Axel Scheffler – a pair of white boxers decorated with gold crowns and modelled by the artist’s most famous creation, the Gruffalo.
But if the king fancies bling, he could opt for Sav Akyüz’s jewel-encrusted briefs paired with a white singlet and modelled by a flamboyant disco-dancing purple bear, familiar from the book I Am Bear, co-created with Ben Bailey-Smith.
A gentler, pastoral theme has been adopted by two of the illustrators, Ruchi Mhasane and Momoko Abe, who both feature squirrels, birds, hedgehogs and flowers on their coronation pants, reflecting Charles’s devotion to nature and his bucolic invitations to the Westminster Abbey ceremony.
A corgi bears union flag-themed pants in Lydia Corry’s artwork; Paddy Donnelly has a king penguin sporting briefs with a kingfisher motif; a whole parade of undie-clad creatures has been created by award-winning illustrator Lydia Monks.
Nicola Kent is offering coronation chicken boxer shorts, featuring the key ingredients of the famous dish created for the 1953 coronation of Elizabeth II: chicken, mayonnaise, curry powder and sultanas.
Posy Symmonds’ pants feature a take on Charles II’s 1661 coronation portrait, complete with ermine, crown, orb and sceptre. At the other extreme, Zoom Rockman has opted for a near-naked Charles III, with jug ears, hairy chest and snug union jack briefs.
Within hours of the online auction opening, a “Camilla Parker-Bowles” – believed to be a spoof – had bid £75 for the Rockman illustration. A spokesperson for the Queen Consort declined to comment.
The fundraiser is the brainchild of Nicholas Allan, author of The King’s Pants (a sequel to The Queen’s Knickers), a delightful tale of a monarch with too many pairs of pants for different occasions, all kept in order – or not – by Cedric, the keeper of the king’s pants.
Allan’s contribution to the auction is an image from his book of the king trying on his coronation pants as Cedric watches deferentially. “The king cannot be king without these,” says the text.
“The royal family is a great subject to write about, it’s a very comic thing,” Allan said. “The Queen was rather remote, but Charles invites fun to be poked at him.”
When The Queen’s Knickers was published in 1993, some bookshops refused to stock it on the grounds it was disrespectful, said Allan. It has since been adapted as a stage musical.
Allan wrote The King’s Pants “a long time ago”, but left the manuscript in a drawer until real life caught up. It was finally published last week, with an advance copy sent to the royal family.
An aide to the Princess of Wales replied, thanking Allan for sending the book to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. She added: “It was so kind of you to think of them, and I have no doubt the book will be thoroughly enjoyed by each of the children.”
Allan said he was “biased towards the monarchy – I’m definitely not a republican. You mustn’t forget I’m profiting from them. It would be a very sad day if they were all dismissed.” The royal family was integral to the international perception of Britain as a “country of eccentricity”, he added.
The King’s Pants charity auction closes at 5pm on Wednesday 31 May.
