Coronation of King Charles: Julie Bishop Responds After Internet Blows Over Appearance Details
Former Australian Foreign Secretary Julie Bishop has reacted after an “extraordinary” experience at King Charles’ coronation drew global attention.
Bishop wowed at Westminster Abbey on Saturday when he wore a dramatic cream carpenter’s outfit that included a tall, elaborate hat, a ruffled collar and ruffled appliqués down the front.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Julie Bishop talks about the coronation outfit
Stream the world’s top reality, entertainment and true crime shows for free on 7Bravo 7plus >>
A flurry of headlines about her ensemble erupted on Twitter that night – viewers were divided over the stunning look.
One Twitter fan described the outfit as “Oz Kitsch” and the overall look as “Dunny Roll Doll,” while another likened the outfit to a toilet stuffed animal.
But on Monday, Bishop calmly joined Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr and revealed the reason for her choice of clothes.
“The theme of the coronation was actually ‘spring’. You may have seen the invitation, which was filled with flowers, very floral, and it said you had to dress like you were going to a royal wedding,” she said.
“I looked at what people would wear to a royal wedding and settled on flowers and a fascinator – and the wonderful team of Zimmerman and David Jones put together the outfit and Nerida Winter collaborated with Nicky Zimmerman on a hat to create what I felt was worthy of a coronation.
“It was a wonderful display of Australian design and I was very proud to wear it.”
Bishop also spoke about her experience sitting next to singing superstar Lionel Richie during the trial, describing it as “very exciting”.
“We were in the abbey for hours before any of the dignitaries arrived so there was a lot of chatting and walking around and people taking pictures and other things.
Julie Bishop enters Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles
“When the dignitaries arrived, everyone calmed down.
“We had a wonderful chat and I really enjoyed his company,” Bishop said, referring to Richie.
“I uploaded a little selfie and this morning I saw he liked it with a little smiley face emoji so I thought that was really special.”
In a message to Richie on Instagram, Bishop told him how much she enjoyed the event.
“Lionel Richie, what an extraordinary experience,” she told him. “Unforgettable.”
