Charles and Camilla have opted to forgo the gold coach on the way to Westminster Abbey, helping to ensure that they don’t show up looking unwell. Picture: REUTERS/Toby Melville
By Karla Adam and Marisa Bellack
LONDON - The procession route for King Charles III’s coronation will be shorter than the one his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, took on her coronation day more than 70 years ago.
But otherwise, there are few signs so far that the British royals are toning down the pomp for the May 6 ceremonies.
The coronation regalia, which normally resides at the Tower of London under armed guard, will include three crowns, an orb, sceptres, golden bracelets, two maces and five swords, according to new details released by Buckingham Palace.
The oldest object is a 12th-century spoon, which will be deployed to anoint Charles with holy oil. And in a nod to modernity, the palace released a bespoke crown emoji, inspired by St Edward's Crown, the 2.2kg colossus that will be placed on Charles’s head.
The palace also confirmed that Camilla, the Queen Consort, will hold a sceptre made of ivory, despite Prince William’s campaigning for years against the ivory trade. (As previously announced, another controversial item in the Crown Jewels, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, will not make an appearance.
Instead, Camilla will wear Queen Mary’s Crown, set with jewels that other nations aren’t clamouring to get back.)
It’s unclear how the cost of this coronation will compare with the last one. The British government, which picks up the tab, says that information will be published at a later date.
But a less expensive affair could go down well in some quarters, at a time of double-digit inflation and renewed scrutiny of the cost of the British royal family.
The palace has exercised restraint in terms of the guest list. For Elizabeth II’s coronation, special tiered seating was erected, allowing more than 8 000 people to pack into Westminster Abbey. This time, palace officials said they sent invitations to closer to 2,000 guests.
It’s possible that the shorter parade route, though, has as much to do with comfort as concerns about cost or optics.
The Gold State Coach, used to transport every newly crowned monarch since King William IV in 1831, is visually impressive.
Made of elaborately carved giltwood and weighing 4.4 tons, it requires eight horses to pull it forward at a walking pace.
It is also extremely uncomfortable, according to the select few who have ridden in it for coronations and state openings of Parliament.
Tour guides at the Royal Mews, where it is usually housed, tell of how King William IV compared it to a ship “tossing in a rough sea”; Queen Victoria lamented its “distressing oscillation”; and George VI described the journey to his coronation as “one of the most uncomfortable rides I have ever had in my life”.
Even after the wheels were rubberised, Queen Elizabeth II deemed the coach “horrible” and “not meant for travelling at all”, as “it’s only sprung on leather”.
Charles and Camilla have opted to forgo the gold coach on the way to Westminster Abbey, helping to ensure that they don’t show up looking unwell.
They will travel there in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach: a relatively modern carriage, used for the first time in 2014, which has power windows, air conditioning and, importantly, shock absorbers.
They will reserve the gold coach for after the coronation ceremony, returning to Buckingham Palace along a route of 2km, much curtailed compared with the snaking 8km return journey of Charles’s mother in 1953.
Royal household upholsterer Stephen Mills is among those who have helped get the Gold State Coach ready, repairing and replacing the sun-faded crimson silk satin on the interior.
“I’m hoping His Majesty finds it a more comfortable ride,” Mills said. “I’ve made him new cushions.”
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