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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Russell Myers & Alice Peacock

King Charles plans slimmed-down coronation - as biographer predicts poignant date

King Charles' is planning a slimmed-down coronation with a royal biographer claiming the coronation could take place on June 2, sources claim.

A date has not yet been announced for Charles III’s coronation but it is unlikely to be for many months.

Traditionally, there is a long wait between a new monarch’s ascension to the throne and their coronation.

This period of time allows time for the past sovereign to be properly mourned before officially welcoming in the new era.

Sources have also said the event, whenever it does take place, will likely be a slimmed-down affair - in keeping with King Charles' aim.

However, with the public mourning period completed, royal biographer Hugo Vickers who has written biographies of 20th century figures, including the Queen Mother, said he suspected we would be given an announcement as to the date of King Charles' coronation "quite soon".

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, Mr Vickers said he suspected we would be given an announcement as to the date of King Charles' coronation "quite soon".

A date has not yet been announced for Charles III’s coronation (Getty Images)

"It should also, if traditions follow, be a proclamation, because this is the way things were done in the past," he said.

"I have a feeling it's more likely to be in the summer, because people will camp out on the streets and you need it to be warm, so it could be sometime after Easter.

"But wouldn't it be lovely if it was on June 2, which would be the 70th anniversary of the Queen's coronation. Wouldn't that be an appropriate date?"

Britain has not celebrated a coronation for 69 years, when Elizabeth II became Queen.

King George VI died on February 6, 1952, Elizabeth's coronation at Westminster Abbey did not take place for another 17 months, with her being anointed Queen on June 2, 1953.

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers has written biographies of twentieth century figures, including the Queen Mother (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Like all coronations of UK monarchs for the past 1,000 years, King Charles' coronation will be held at Westminster Abbey.

Every sovereign since William the Conqueror in 1066 has been crowned at the famous London cathedral.

The coronation of Charles, 73, will be full of pomp and ceremony during a high Anglican service at the abbey.

But it is expected to be more inclusive of multi-faith Britain than past coronations, with Charles previously suggesting he could be installed as Defender of Faith, rather than the more specifically Christian title of Defender of The Faith.

With the former Prince of Wales’ reported ambitions for a slimmed-down monarchy, his coronation is expected to be more streamlined than his mother’s seven decades ago to reflect his vision.

Plans have been drawn up under the codename Operation Golden Orb with discussions having been in the works for years.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of their coronation (Getty Images)

Sources have said that it will be shorter, smaller, less expensive and more representative of different faiths and community groups.

A source said: “The King is very aware of the struggles felt by modern Britons so the ceremony itself will be streamlined.

“The King has said himself he wants to tap into his mother’s legacy and this includes continuing to recognise what the people are experienced.”

King Charles III will swear to be “defender of the faith” as head of the Church of England, but will also to reflect the ethnic diversity of modern Britain by inviting a multi denominational congregation to Westminster Abbey.

Following the Queen’s wish expressed at her Platinum Jubilee, Charles’ wife Camilla will be crowned as Queen Consort by his side during the coronation.

As a divorcee, she was previously going to be known as Princess Consort until her mother-in-law stepped in.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan has confirmed that no plans had yet been made for the coronation of the King, as she was pressed on LBC Radio as to whether the proceedings should be scaled down due to the cost-of-living crisis.

She told LBC: "We need to look at the plans on this and obviously the Palace and the King will have a great deal of input into this.

"We only just finished our period of national mourning, so we haven't done that yet, as you would expect.

"And of course, we will be considering everything, but we haven't made these decisions yet.

"We do want to give the nation a moment. When we look back at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, it was a remarkable event where the country really came together.

"If you look back at the Jubilee, how much we did for that and how the country came together. And it can in many ways boost the economy as well.

"Rallying a community, bringing them together, is never a bad thing."

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