The King’s Pages of Honour revealed: Charles gives key roles at the State Opening of Parliament to boys who performed the duty at the Coronation – including Queen’s great-nephew

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King Charles has relied on some of the same Pages of Honour that featured in his Coronation to perform the duties at the State Opening of Parliament today. 

Charles, 74, addressed MPs and peers in the House of Lords this morning in the first King’s Speech for more than 70 years – his first as British monarch.

He was joined by his wife Queen Camilla, 76, and his sister Princess Anne, 73, who reprised her role as Gold-Stick-in-Waiting which she performed at the Coronation in May.

But the Princess Royal wasn’t the only continuity from the monarch’s crowning. Several Pages of Honour who helped arranged the King’s robes as he sat on his throne performed the same role at the Coronation.

Wearing traditional uniforms, schoolboys Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Nicholas Barclay, Ralph Tollemache, and Charles van Cutsem were tasked with the duty, according to The Telegraph. 

King Charles has relied on some of the same Pages of Honour that featured in his Coronation to perform the duties at the State Opening of Parliament (pictured) today

In this portrait taken after the Coronation, the King and Queen are joined by (pictured, left to right) Ralph Tollemache, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Nicholas Barclay, Prince George, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, the Queen’s sister Annabel Elliot, the Queen’s grandson Freddy Parker Bowles, the Queen’s great-nephew Arthur Elliot, and the Queen’s grandsons Gus Lopes and Louis Lopes

Three of the four boys performed at the Coronation, where they were joined by Prince George, 10, who is said to be setting exams this week. William Keswick and Arthur Elliott, Camilla’s great nephew, helped the Queen during today’s event.

Arthur Elliot was also a Page of Honour at the monarch’s crowning last summer. Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the youngsters picked to be Pages of Honour, which is a historic ceremonial position, now only employed on state occasions. 

Nicholas Barclay 

Pages of Honour outside the Palace of Westminster for The State Opening of Parliament 

Nicholas Barclay is the grandson of Sarah Troughton (pictured with Camilla), who is one of the Queen’s six companions (a role which replaced the former lady-in-waiting position) and oldest friends

Nicholas Barclay is the grandson of Sarah Troughton, who is one of the Queen’s six companions (a role which replaced the former lady-in-waiting position) and oldest friends.

Sarah, the Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, is a second cousin of King Charles via her maternal grandfather, who was a brother of the Queen Mother, reported Tatler. 

She served as a lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Kent from 1990-2000 and was made a Commander of the Order of St John by the Queen in 2013, before being raised to Dame of the order in 2021.

Nicholas is the only son of Sarah’s daughter Rose (nee Troughton) and solicitor Piers Barclay. Rose is also one of the King’s goddaughters. 

Nicholas is one of Rose and Peter’s three children, along with Beatrice and Aurelia.

Ralph Tollemache

Another Page of Honour is Ralph Tollemache, son of British banker and aristocrat The Honourable Edward Tollemache and Sophie Tollemache (pictured together in 2009)

Another Page of Honour is Ralph Tollemache, son of British banker and aristocrat The Honourable Edward Tollemache and Sophie Tollemache.

Edward, the heir apparent of the 5th Baron Tollemache, is a godson of the King and was a Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth. 

Ralph has a brother, Theo James Tollemache, and a sister, Stella Isabel Dinah Tollemache. The family live at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, which has belonged to the family for 500 years.

Edward and Sophie wed on 3 February 2007 at St Columba’s Church in Knightsbridge. The then Prince of Wales was one of the guests.

Lord Oliver Cholmondeley 

Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, son of David, the Marquess of Cholmondeley (pictured), and his former model wife, Rose, was also a Page of Honour

Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, son of David, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, and his former model wife, Rose, was also a Page of Honour. 

Oliver’s father was recently appointed to be the King’s Lord-in-Waiting – a significant royal role in which he will be invited to attend important state and royal occasions. 

In 1974, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, as Earl of Rocksavage, was Page of Honour to the late Queen, before becoming Lord Great Chamberlain from 1990 to 2022.

Meanwhile, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley’s maternal grandmother, the late Lady Elizabeth Lambart, was one of the late Queen’s bridesmaids at her 1947 wedding.

The family – which also includes Lord Oliver’s twin brother, Alexander, Earl of Rocksavage, and his younger sister, Lady Iris – live at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, which is just four miles from Anmer Hall, their friends’, the Prince and Princess of Wales’s, country retreat.

Charles van Cutsem 

 Rose Astor and Hugh van Cutsem at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018

Charles van Cutsem, son of Hugh and Rose van Cutsem, also attended today’s State Opening of Parliament as a Page of Honour.

His sister, Grace, went viral after stealing the show with her scowl when newly weds, Prince William and Kate, now the Prince and Princess of Wales, shared their first public kiss on the balcony in 2011.

Rose, who has chosen professionally to be known as Rose Astor rather than Rose van Cutsem, told The Times in February 2020: ‘No one could spell it. Or say it. No, I don’t want to be associated.

‘I’m fed up with being associated with the royal family in everything I do. I have nothing to do with them apart from I married someone who grew up with them.’

Rose, who holds local yoga workshops, said her job is looking after her children. She added: ‘I just want them to be happy, confident and have good manners and a work ethic.’

Arthur Elliot

Mary-Clare Winwood and Ben Elliot attend the launch of Treehouse Hotel on November 13, 2019 in London

Camilla’s great-nephew, Arthur Elliot – whose father is former Tory Party chairman Ben Elliot – was one of the Queen’s Pages of Honour. 

Ben, whose wife is Mary-Clare Winwood, is the son of Camilla’s sister, Annabel, who is an interior designer and antiques dealer.

The Queen’s sister has joined her at a number of events, including sitting alongside her in the Royal Box at Wimbledon this summer.

It is perhaps not surprising that the duo are being spotted together more, with Camilla proving to be a pillar of support for the recently widowed Annabel. 

William Keswick 

Lady Sarah Keswick (pictured sitting next to the Queen in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon in 2011. Left: The late Bruce Forsyth) is married to former Arsenal Chairman Chips Keswick

The Pages of Honour this time around included William Keswick, grandson of Lady Sarah Keswick, according to Tatler. 

Lady Sarah Keswick is a close friend of the Queen and King’s, along with her husband, Sir John Chippendale ‘Chips’ Lindley Keswick.

From 2013 until his retirement in 2020, 82-year-old Chips was chairman of Arsenal Football Club.

Lady Sarah appears to be a sports fan herself, and was spotted at Wimbledon with Camilla in June 2011.

The pair sat in the royal box to get ready for a day of action on Centre Court, while the late TV legend Bruce Forsyth appeared to join them.

The mother-of-three shares three sons, David, Tobias and Adam, with Chips.

Lady Sarah is the daughter of former Conservative MP and 16th Earl of Dalhousie Simon Ramsay.

During his five years in Parliament from 1945 until 1950, when he assumed the title of Earl of Dalhousie from his late brother, Simon did a stint as Conservative whip.

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