While aspects of the service will be overhauled in favour of reflecting a 'modern day Britain', it will remain an Anglican service with the vows not expected to change. And Barbados recently dropped the Queen as head of state.
In 1953 the Queen of Tonga refused to put the cover up on her carriage despite the pouring rain and delighted the crowds by beaming and waving regardless.īut Tonga is no longer a British protectorate, becoming fully independent in 1970. There will be far fewer protectorates who will expect to be invited. The ceremony, the first to be televised, lasted more than three hours and required the Queen to make several outfit changes.īut seven decades on, guests will be limited to a maximum of 2,000, and the service will be 'far shorter because you have to consider Charles's age', a source said. More than 40,000 troops were involved in the parade, including 30,000 lining the streets. The new plans will mark a radical departure from the Coronation of Elizabeth II, who had been Queen for 16 months by the time of her lavish ceremony.Ī long carriage procession transported more than 8,000 dignitaries to Westminster Abbey where many were accommodated on makeshift benches. The ceremony, the first to be televised, lasted more than three hours and required the Queen to make several outfit changes This newspaper also understands that Charles wishes to use a new design on the official insignia which appears on postboxes and police officers' uniforms – choosing the simpler Tudor Crown to replace the current St Edward's design. The last time a Queen Consort was crowned was in 1937 when the Queen's mother, Elizabeth, sat alongside King George VI. Prince Philip, as a male consort, was not entitled to be crowned, but instead knelt before his wife during the Coronation and pledged to be her 'liege man of life and limb'. The Coronation will happen within a year of Charles's accession and its acknowledgement of the religious and cultural diversity of modern Britain will mark a significant departure from the Queen's Coronation on June 2, 1953, which reflected the nation and empire of the time. (Above, the Queen and Philip on the day of her Coronation)Ī source said that it would be 'shorter, sooner, smaller, less expensive and more representative of different community groups and faiths'.
Last time a Queen Consort was crowned was in 1937 when the Queen's mother, Elizabeth, sat alongside King George VI.Prince Philip, as a male consort, was not entitled to be crowned, but instead knelt before his wife during the Coronation and pledged to be her 'liege man of life and limb'.Behind the scenes, plans are under way for an overhaul of the only remaining religious Coronation in Europe.Last week the Queen declared it was her 'sincere wish' that Camilla would be known as Queen Consort when, 'in the fullness of time', her son becomes King.Service at Westminster Abbey will be shorter and cheaper than in the past under plans being drawn up.Charles and Camilla to be crowned side by side: Prince of Wales's plans for a scaled down coronation codenamed 'Operation Golden Orb' that will be shorter and cheaper are revealed