When King Charles III is formally crowned Britain’s monarch at a grand ceremony on Saturday, Indian-origin chef Manju Malhi will be among the chosen few British Empire Medal (BEM) recipients seated at Westminster Abbey in London.
She is among the last batch to be awarded a BEM by Charles’ mother, late Queen Elizabeth II, for services to the community in London during the COVID-19 response. The medal recognised her work offering remote cookery classes to the old age charity Open Age during lockdown and got her the coveted Abbey invite to a gathering of an estimated 2,000 guests made up of community champions, charity representatives, world leaders and royalty.
“When I realised it is actually happening, I felt like gosh – who am I to be at one of the most historic moments in global history, sitting in the Abbey watching the ceremony take place for real,” shares Malhi.
“I’m quite nervous because normally I just cook and throw on some clothes and an apron. But this is almost like a wedding but more important than that. I think I have everything ready; I have to do a checklist like I do with my ingredients,” she said.
Malhi has chosen British Indian fashion designer Geeta Handa to create an Indo-Western outfit that reflects her heritage and resonates with the regal theme of the day.
The result is a bespoke design, tailored from pure Indian broderie cotton to a vibrant royal blue tone and styled as a kameez over trousers.