King Charles’s coronation will only be one hour long & have a looser dress code

Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and all of the mourning-period events were very symbolic and beautiful. It’s one of the few things the British monarchy does well: fussy pomp. Did everything go off without a hitch? Of course not. Mistakes were made, mostly by the new king and his staff. It was an extraordinarily bad look that in the 48 hours following QEII’s death, the biggest story was about Charles banning his son’s wife from Balmoral. The focus on the “Montecito royals” genuinely overshadowed the pomp, which is why Charles could not avoid having Harry and Meghan included in everything. I imagine it will be the same for Charles’s coronation, which is reportedly set for early June next year. The Mail on Sunday has all of the fussy plans so far, none of which include the Sussexes. Which is fine – we don’t know if they’re invited, nor do we know if they want to go. But it absolutely feels like a huge, gaping hole in Charles’s careful plans if they aren’t making contingencies on top of contingencies to deal with the Sussex issue. Anyway, here are some highlights from the MoS:

A breezy one-hour coronation: King Charles’s cut-down Coronation is set to last little more than an hour, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The service at Westminster Abbey next year will have fewer arcane rituals and be significantly shorter than the 1953 ceremony when Queen Elizabeth was crowned. King Charles is understood to want his Coronation to set the tone for a streamlined and modern monarchy, while retaining some of the pomp and majesty that stunned the world during the Queen’s lying-in-state and funeral ceremonies.

The blueprint known as Operation Golden Orb: The Coronation ceremony is set to be dramatically cut in length from more than three hours to just over an hour; The guest list for the ceremony is likely to be slashed from 8,000 to 2,000, with hundreds of nobles and parliamentarians missing out; Discussions have been held about a more relaxed dress code, with peers possibly allowed to wear lounge suits instead of ceremonial robes; Ancient and time-consuming rituals – including presenting the monarch with gold ingots – will be axed to save time; Prince William is likely to play an important role in helping to plan the ceremony.

Who will miss out? Among those set to miss out will be MPs and peers who are likely to be told that they cannot be guaranteed a place. It will be more religiously and culturally diverse. While the 1953 Coronation required the Queen to make various outfit changes, a source said: ‘King Charles is unlikely to do the same and the language will be adapted so as to be understandable to a more modern audience.’

What will stay: Some key rituals will be retained, including the anointing of the monarch, who will swear to be the ‘defender of the faith’, not ‘defender of faith’ as previously speculated. The 1762 Gold State Coach, which was refurbished at great expense for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, will also once again be part of the Coronation procession.

No Ingots: The traditional presentation of gold to the monarch is also likely to disappear. In 1952, it was reported that ‘an ingot or wedge of gold of a pound weight’ was presented to the monarch by the Lord Great Chamberlain before being placed upon the altar. A source said: ‘In an age where people are feeling the pinch, this is not going to happen.’

Will royal women wear tiaras? Diplomats and other male guests invited to the 1953 Coronation were instructed that ‘knee breeches’ were in order, while women were advised to wear headgear, preferably tiaras. The dress code next year will be less prescriptive. Discussions had taken place on relaxing the requirement for peers to wear so-called coronation robes. A cloak of crimson velvet, the rank of the peer is indicated by rows of ermine – a stoat’s white winter fur and black tail end – on the cape. Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Mather, who started the plan for King Charles’s Coronation – which has since been updated – told The Mail on Sunday: ‘No Coronation robes. Give them to a museum where they belong. It’s not going to be a tweed jacket and pair of jeans – but morning suit or lounge suit.’

William’s role: Seventy years ago, Prince Philip was instrumental in chairing the Privy Council Coronation Committee that oversaw many of the ceremonial arrangements for the big day. A great moderniser, he agreed that the service should be televised. This time, as heir to the throne, Prince William is expected to play an important role on the committee.

[From The Daily Mail]

LOL, I hope King Charles doesn’t actually expect William to do anything on the Privy Council. William refuses to read briefing papers or learn languages or make one iota of effort. All of the other people will organize the coronation and then William will swoop in and take credit for everything. As for the rest of this… it’s typical of Charles to try to dial down the one thing people expect: pomp, glamour, the connection to British history. I get that some/all of the coronation rituals will be a bad look for a modern audience. But the jig is up, right? If you’re going to do a coronation, do a coronation. Dust off all the gold carriages and make women wear tiaras and drape everyone in ermine. Charles is going to do some cheap Brexit coronation. Oh well!

Photos courtesy of Instar, Avalon Red.

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North America Rights Only – London, UK -20220510- State Opening Of Parliament -PICTURED: Prince William -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

Britain’s Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William proceed behind the Imperial State Crown through the Royal Gallery for the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, Britain, May 10, 2022.,Image: 690010344, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: HANNAH MCKAY / Avalon

Prince Charles reads the Queen’s speech next to her crown during the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the opening of Parliament on Tuesday amid ongoing mobility issues.,Image: 690017715, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WPA POOL, WPA+IPA+CPNA IN, Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon

Prince Charles reads the Queen’s speech next to her crown during the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the opening of Parliament on Tuesday amid ongoing mobility issues.,Image: 690017789, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WPA POOL, WPA+IPA+CPNA IN, Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon

Prince Charles processes along the Royal gallery with the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William during the ceremonial state opening of Parliament which The Queen was unable to attend due to her health.,Image: 690017831, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: RICHARD POHLE / Avalon

Prince Charles processes along the Royal gallery with the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William during the ceremonial state opening of Parliament which The Queen was unable to attend due to her health.,Image: 690018043, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: RICHARD POHLE / Avalon

Image Licensed to i-Images Picture Agency. 10/05/2022. London, United Kingdom. Prince Charles and Camilla at the State Opening of Parliament in London. Queen Elizabeth II missed the ceremony for the first time in 59 years because of mobility issues .,Image: 690028213, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images. Magazines contact agency for fees before use. Images Single use only then repro fees apply. Tel: 07860204379, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stephen Lock / i-Images / Avalon

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 10: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales looks towards the Imperial State Crown as he delivers the Queen‚Äôs Speech during the state opening of Parliament at the House of Lords on May 10, 2022 in London, England. The State Opening of Parliament formally marks the beginning of the new session of Parliament. It includes Queen’s Speech, prepared for her to read from the throne, by her government outlining its plans for new laws being brought forward in the coming parliamentary year. This year the speech will be read by the Prince of Wales as HM The Queen will miss the event due to ongoing mobility issues.,Image: 690035436, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Dan Kitwood / Avalon

Prince Charles reads the Queen’s speech next to her crown during the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II did not attend the opening of Parliament amid ongoing mobility issues.,Image: 690036151, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WPA POOL, WPA+IPA+CPNA IN, Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon

North America Rights Only – London, UK -20220510- State Opening Of Parliament -PICTURED: Prince William, Prince Charles, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

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