Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Woman & Home
Woman & Home
Lifestyle
Laura Harman

The seriously relatable reason Prince William and Kate were late for the coronation

Prince William and Kate were late

The reason Prince William and Kate were late to the King's coronation has been revealed, and honestly, we are loving how relatable it is!


On Saturday the world watched in anticipation as the King and Queen were set to take their thrones for the first time at their coronation. Everything was ready and set but many were confused when the King and Queen sat in the golden carriage outside Westminster Abbey and waited. 

It was then made clear that the royal couple were waiting for the arrival of the Prince and Princess of Wales. As the monarch, King Charles and Queen Camilla had to be the last people to enter Westminster Abbey, and therefore they had to hold fire on their grand entrance in order to maintain tradition and order. So what kept William and Kate back? Why did the royal couple delay the meticulously timed event?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Royal author and expert Omid Scobie explained in Harper's Bazaar, "The room for error was nil. And thankfully, due to the weeks of rehearsals that the royals took part in ahead of the coronation, the day went ahead smoothly." 

The expert then revealed the reason behind Kate and William's arrival hiccup - their children! A royal insider told the correspondent the Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis actually caused the delay to their arrival as they struggled to get them out of the house in time.

Omid revealed, "In fact, apart from Prince William and Princess Kate joining the procession late (children were to blame, a source tells me), and Camilla’s ladies in attendance—sister Annabel Elliot, and queen’s companion the Marchioness of Lansdowne—accidentally creating an unfortunate wedgie moment out of her silk Bruce Oldfield dress on the way into the Abbey, very few hitches took place."

Trying to get out of the house in the morning with a five-year-old and eight-year-old is hard enough, but when the children need to be suited and booted and you yourself need to look incredible and ready to be on live television for hours on end, it's perhaps quite understandable why the royal couple may have struggled to get their ducks in a row.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Omid added, "Every precaution had been taken to avoid mistakes." And even detailed the plans to avoid any disruptions from the youngest member of the Wales family. "Even Prince Louis, whose playful antics at Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee concert last year stole the show, was (mostly) on his best behaviour. Aides had warned us beforehand that the five-year-old may 'retire' during the two-hour service due to his age, but apart from a short 20-minute break, he stuck the entire thing out."

While some wondered why Prince Louis briefly disappeared during the coronation ceremony, many parents understood why it was a tall order to ask a five-year-old child to sit quietly for two hours, and could guess immediately that he had ducked out to let out some energy. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.