The reduced coronation of King Carlos III will last just over an hour, The Mail revealed on Sunday. The service at Westminster Abbey next year will have fewer rituals and be significantly shorter than the 1953 ceremony when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.
King Charles III is understood to want his coronation to set the tone for a streamlined, modern monarchy, while retaining some of the pomp and majesty that awed the world during the queen’s funeral and investiture ceremonies.
The MoS may reveal that under a plan known as Operation Golden Orb: The Coronation Ceremony will be dramatically shortened from over three hours to just over an hour.
The guest list for the ceremony is likely to be cut from 8,000 to 2,000, with hundreds of nobles and parliamentarians out. Discussions have been taking place over a more relaxed dress code, in which ballroom suits may be allowed to be worn instead of ceremonial robes.
Old and time-consuming rituals, including the presentation of gold bars to the monarch, will be removed to save time. Prince William is likely to play a major role in helping plan the ceremony.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation was largely based on that of her father, King George VI, in 1937, which in turn was modeled on that of King George V in 1911.
But palace insiders say the Duke of Norfolk, who as Earl Marshal is leading the coronation, is tasked with preparing a simpler, shorter and more diverse ceremony that reflects modern Britain.
“The King has shed much of the Coronation in recognition that the world has changed in the last 70 years,” a source said last night.
How was the 1953 ceremony?
In 1953, some 8,000 people spent more than three hours crammed into the Abbey. By contrast, the Coronation of Carlos III is expected to last just over an hour, with only 2,000 guests and dignitaries. Among those who will miss out will be MPs who are likely to be told they cannot be guaranteed a place.
While the 1953 Coronation required the queen to make several outfit changes, a source said: “King Charles is unlikely to do the same and the language will be adapted to make it understandable to a more modern audience.”
Some key rituals will remain, including the anointing of the monarch, who will be sworn to be the “defender of the faith”. The 1762 Gold State Coach, which was renovated at great expense for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, will also once again be part of the Coronation procession.
In the last weeks of 1952, the old Court of Claims was established in Westminster to assess which members of the nobility were entitled to perform certain functions. Over a period of several weeks, the court, led by senior judges from England and Scotland, heard 21 claims.
The Earl of Shrewsbury was appointed to carry a white wand as a symbol of his office, while the Dean of Westminster was able to instruct the Queen in rites and ceremonies.
Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, a ceremonial position dating back to the 12th century, put forth claims from various port barons to carry the canopy over the queen’s head.
The MoS understands that the Court of Claims will be dismantled in the run-up to the ceremony, probably in the summer.
ABC