King Charles will be officially crowned at his coronation in May and the lavish event is set to be more “inclusive” following recent royal controversies over a wide range of cultural issues.
Royal expert Jennie Bond has revealed that the ceremony will also be “more inclusive, more relevant and less archaic” than the coronation of Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth in 1953.
The 74-year-old’s stripped-back coronation will “reflect the role of the monarch today and look to the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry,” the former BBC correspondent told OK! Magazine.
Bond, 72, added that the coronation will be “clearly a big event” and possibly even “bigger than the Queen’s funeral in terms of state visitors”.
Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022, and her eldest son ascended the throne immediately after her death.
King Charles (right) became monarch of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth realms in September 2022 following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth. Getty Images
Bond claimed Charles is working hard to modernize the event, even planning it with his wife and “guardian angel Camilla”.
“When we saw him deliver his first speech as king, we saw this change in tone – being king is his solemn duty,” she said.
“He clearly felt the weight of the job on his shoulders and that will show in the coronation. It will be a mix of a little less of the stiff old formality, but it will retain the basic structure of something extremely important,” Bond continued.
The British journalist also claimed the ceremony would be a symbol of “unity” amid royal family tensions between his estranged son Prince Harry, his wife Meghan Markle and his other son Prince William.
From the balcony of Buckingham Palace, Meghan Markle (left), her husband Prince Harry, his brother Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton watch a flyby to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force on July 10, 2018. Getty Images
Despite their difficult relationship with the company, Markle, 41, and Harry, 38, have received an invitation to the coronation.
“Events like the coronation, which will be both a joyful and a solemn occasion, do a lot to shore up the monarchy’s popularity,” Bond said. “The pageantry will be seen by millions, so there is a great cheer for the monarchy on these grand occasions.”
Charles’ accession is to take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby presiding. The guest list was capped at 2,000 attendees and the date was declared a UK bank holiday.
However, the more “inclusive” sentiment surrounding the king’s coronation also comes amid racial controversies surrounding the royals.
Charles stands with his mother Queen Elizabeth II (below left), father Prince Philip and sister Princess Anne during his inauguration as Prince of Wales in 1969.Bettmann Archives
In the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in March 2021, they claimed a family member wondered how dark their son Archie’s skin would be.
In December 2022, Lady Susan Hussey – William’s godmother and honorary member of the royal household – came under fire for a racist comment she made towards Ngozi Fulani at an event. Hussey, 83, later resigned.