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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Russell Myers & Neil Shaw

Operation Golden Orb sees plan for 'small' coronation next June

The coronation of King Charles III is likely to take place at the start of June 2023 and will be 'slimmed down', according to experts. Royal biographer Hugo Vickers says an announcement on the exact date of the coronation will be made soon by royal proclamation.

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, Mr Vickers 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?"

After King George VI died on February 6, 1952, Queen Elizabeth II's coronation at Westminster Abbey did not take place for another 17 months.

King Charles III's coronation will be held at Westminster Abbey during a high Anglican service. It is expected to be more inclusive of multi-faith Britain than past coronations and is expected to be more streamlined than his mother’s.

Plans have been drawn up under the codename Operation Golden Orb Sources have said that it will be shorter, smaller, less expensive and more representative of different faiths and community groups, reports The Mirror.

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.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan 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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