Coronation Gown Spotlights Queen Camilla's Style

Queen Consort Camilla will come under scrutiny for what she wears at her husband King Charles III's coronation. ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP/File
Queen Consort Camilla will come under scrutiny for what she wears at her husband King Charles III's coronation. ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP/File
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Coronation Gown Spotlights Queen Camilla's Style

Queen Consort Camilla will come under scrutiny for what she wears at her husband King Charles III's coronation. ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP/File
Queen Consort Camilla will come under scrutiny for what she wears at her husband King Charles III's coronation. ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP/File

In just a few days' time, the eyes of Britain and millions more around the world will be on Camilla as she is crowned queen alongside her husband, King Charles III.

"It'll be the dress that will be the most talked about, it will be analyzed in every detail," said Caroline Young, a writer specializing in fashion.

While the design of Camilla's gown is being kept under wraps, the 75-year-old queen consort commissioned British couturier Bruce Oldfield, who boasts a long list of high-profile clients, including Charles's ex-wife Princess Diana, AFP said.

According to fashion expert and royals' commentator Miranda Holder, the coronation gown is going to "define" Camilla.

"It's going to go down in history," she added.

Britain last held a coronation in 1953. Charles's mother Queen Elizabeth II wore an intricately embroidered white satin gown on the day.

But Camilla is likely to opt for something less luxurious with the new king keen to slim down the ceremony as the country grapples with a cost of living crisis.

When the royal procession arrives at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, the queen will be cloaked in a crimson velvet "Robe of State", originally made for Elizabeth 70 years ago.

'Working with Diana'

Camilla will be crowned with Elizabeth's grandmother Queen Mary's Crown, which she wore at the coronation of her husband King George V in 1911.

In honor of Camilla's late mother-in-law, the crown will be reset with several diamonds from her personal jewelry collection.

According to British media, Oldfield, 72, has designed Camilla's gown but Buckingham Palace was keeping tight-lipped when contacted by AFP.

Oldfield designed dozens of evening gowns -- several of them iconic -- for Diana before her death in a Paris car crash in 1997.

"He was developing his own style and aesthetic while he was working with Diana," Holder, the royal fashion commentator, said.

But after Diana's formal separation from Charles in 1992, she distanced herself from royal life and the designer.

Oldfield had since become one of Camilla's favorite fashion creators, as well as a long-time acquaintance.

He designed the elegant black evening gown Camilla wore on the royal couple's state visit to Germany in March.

Glamour v confidence

"I gave Diana her glamor and Camilla her confidence," Oldfield was quoted as saying in 2014.

While the outfits of heir to the throne Prince William's wife Kate are some of the most scrutinized on the planet, Camilla's style has often left commentators indifferent.

"I don't think people kind of go, 'wow, look at what she's wearing!' But I think she knows perfectly what is the right fit for the right occasion," Young said.

According to Holder, Camilla likes pastel colors but also "flamboyant" jewelry.

"She is very earthy and natural in her spare time. She was in her 60s when she married prince Charles. It was a little bit of an advantage," Holder added.

She said Camilla was not under the same "scrutiny" as Kate or Meghan, whose husband is Charles's younger son Harry.

As for the design of the coronation gown, it's a guessing game for now.

Holder predicts Camilla will be wearing blue or a "pastel color". But definitely not black.

'Fantastic fashion'

"Black is a no-no. It's for evening, red carpet," Holder said.

The fashion expert also expects "much symbolism" that will reflect the Commonwealth nations and the countries making up the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Young says that Camilla will not want her outfit to be "too showy".

"She's got a difficult job because she's been criticized for years and years as being the other woman," Young said.

"So she has a reputation at stake as well," she added.

The start of the king's reign also comes as many Britons struggle with stubbornly high double-digit inflation.

"So there can be the worry that it might be criticized for being too ostentatious, too expensive. All that will be in her mind," Young said.

But Holder hopes that cutting costs in other areas of the coronation will allow "to splash out on a bit of fantastic fashion".



Saudi Arabia Sets Guinness World Record with 95 Tons of Seasonal Seeds in Vegetation Cover Efforts

The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)
The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Sets Guinness World Record with 95 Tons of Seasonal Seeds in Vegetation Cover Efforts

The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)
The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has reached a new global environmental milestone by earning a Guinness World Records title for the largest seasonal seed storage collection in the world, reflecting its ongoing commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification.

Over the course of the year, trained and specialized field teams traveled across the Kingdom to collect large quantities of native plant seeds in support of land rehabilitation projects and environmental sustainability initiatives.

The field teams successfully collected 31 species of local wild plants. The seeds underwent precise processing, including cleaning and purification to remove impurities and plant residues, before being stored according to the highest internationally recognized standards.

Seed warehouses housed more than 95 tons of rangeland and wild plant seeds, reinforcing the Kingdom’s leading role in environmental action and supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 related to natural resource protection and combating desertification.

The Kingdom has recorded numerous environmental milestones at the national, regional, and global levels as part of its broader efforts to promote sustainability in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and international goals to combat desertification and mitigate climate change.


'Call of Duty' Co-creator Vince Zampella Killed in Car Crash

Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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'Call of Duty' Co-creator Vince Zampella Killed in Car Crash

Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Vince Zampella, the acclaimed co-creator of video gaming juggernaut "Call of Duty," has died in a car crash, gaming giant Electronic Arts confirmed on Monday. He was 55.

The developer and executive died on Sunday while driving his Ferrari on a scenic road north of Los Angeles, according to local broadcaster NBC4.

"For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed," the California Highway Patrol said in a statement, without identifying the two victims in the crash.

The CHP added that both the driver and a passenger who was ejected from the vehicle succumbed to their injuries, reported AFP.

Witnesses posted video of the mangled cherry-red Ferarri, engulfed in flames, on the mountain road. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

His studios created some of the world's best-selling video games, and Zampella was considered an innovator in first-person military shooter style games.

This year, when his "Battlefield 6" video game set a new sales record for the franchise, Zampella expressed gratitude, saying "we never take moments like this for granted" -- despite a long career of success in gaming.

The mass-combat game has won over 100 million players in the past two decades, in its various iterations.

And yet, that number isn't a first. To this day, "Call of Duty" boasts more than 100 milion active players, monthly.

"You have that dream of the game being popular, but I don't think you're ever ready for that level of success," Zampella told gaming site IGN in a 2016 interview.

Profound, far-reaching

Zampella was best known for co-creating the "Call of Duty" franchise and founding Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind "Titanfall,Apex Legends," and the "Star Wars Jedi" games.

After starting out in the 1990s as a designer on shooter games, he co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and helped launch "Call of Duty" in 2003. Activision later acquired his studio.

He left Activision under contentious circumstances and established Respawn in 2010, which Electronic Arts acquired in 2017.

At EA, he eventually took charge of revitalizing the "Battlefield" franchise, cementing his reputation as one of the most influential figures in modern first-person shooter games.

"This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince's family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work," Electronic Arts said in a statement.

"Vince's influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching," the company said, adding that "his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment."

A statement by Respawn, posted on the "Battlefield" X account, praised Zampella "for how he showed up every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas, and believing in Battlefield and the people building it."

Zampella "championed what he believed was right for the people behind those studios and our players because it mattered."

"It was a bold, transgressive method of storytelling, of a moment in time that was political, that was violent and that was impactful," Washington Post video game reporter Gene Park told NBC4.

"He really knew how to create stories and create experiences, that really hit at the heart of human experience -- whether it was terror, dread, heroism. I think he was really able to kindof encapsulate that through the designs of the video games that he made," Park said.


GEA Chairman Named 2025 ‘Promoter of the Year’ by Boxing News

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)
Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)
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GEA Chairman Named 2025 ‘Promoter of the Year’ by Boxing News

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)
Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The recognition reflects Alalshikh influential contributions and growing role in advancing the global boxing industry, built on a series of initiatives led by him in recent years.

It celebrates his efforts in elevating the stature of major fight cards, raising organizational standards, and enhancing both the sporting and media experience of boxing events, with a vision and strong international partnerships that have been instrumental in attracting the sport’s biggest global names.