Buckingham Palace releases official coronation portraits

London CNN

Buckingham Palace released a message on Monday from King Charles III to Queen Camilla, expressing their'most heartfelt and sincere thanks' as the long weekend of the coronation comes to a close.

The newly crowned sovereign and his wife wrote in a letter that they wanted to give special thanks to all those who made events in London, Windsor, and beyond "as happy, as safe, and as enjoyable as possible."

King Charles thanked everyone who participated in the celebrations. Whether it was at home, street parties, lunches or volunteering in local communities, we are grateful to each one of you. To know we have your encouragement and support, and to see your kindness in so many ways, was the greatest Coronation gift. We now rededicate ourselves to serving the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Realms.

The palace also released four official photos of the King, Queen, and other members of the Royal family, taken following Saturday's historic coronation ceremony. Hugo Burnand, a renowned British photographer, took all four photos at Buckingham Palace.

The King is shown in a portrait in the palace Throne Room wearing the Robe of Estate, the Imperial State Crown and holding the Sovereign’s Orb with Cross and Sovereign’s Sceptre.

He is seated in one of two 1902 throne chair that were made for the future King George V, and Queen Mary to use during King Edward VII's coronation.

In the Green Drawing Room, Queen Camilla wore Queen Mary's crown and robe of estate in a separate photograph.

In the Throne Room, they also posed for a joint portrait.

A fourth photo was released showing the King and the Queen flanked with 'working royals,' members of the family that perform official duties for the monarch.

Burnand, a London-based photographer, has been closely associated with the royal family for many years. He took the official wedding photos of William and Kate in 2011 and Charles and Camilla in 2005. Burnand has been taking private photos of Charles and Camilla since over 20 years.

Burnand took several pictures of the King and the Queen, released by the palace in advance of the coronation.

The coronation on Saturday of King Charles III was a once in a generation royal event. Thousands of people gathered in London's streets to witness history being made despite the gloomy, wet weather.

Westminster Abbey, the nation's coronation Church since 1066, hosted a service rich in tradition, pageantry and ceremony.

The entire celebration was based on music, which is in line with history. The music was performed by the best singers and musicians from around the world.

The Duke of Sussex returned to the UK on his father's special day. He sat in the third-row, wearing his morning suit and military medals. The Duke of Sussex arrived with his uncles Prince Edward and Prince Andrew and two of Princess Beatrice's cousins Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.

He didn't appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony later for his customary appearance. Instead, he caught a commercial flight to Los Angeles, where he joined the celebrations of Prince Archie's fourth birthday.

This was the first public reunion of the prince with his family members since his controversial memoir 'Spare' was released.

The sun returned to the rest of the long weekend as thousands of people across the country celebrated the new King with street parties and communal lunches. Other people attended a coronation concert in the grounds at Windsor Castle.

On Monday, Prince Louis, youngest child of Prince and Princess Wales, made his first royal appearance at age five as part of Big Help Out, a nationwide volunteer initiative to mark the end of coronation weekend.

The fourth-in-line to the throne joined his parents, Princess Charlotte and Prince George to help renovate a Scout hut.