By royal biographer Emily Andrews
IT’S ALL HANDS TO THE PUMP TO BE READY IN TIME FOR THE CORONATION
I hear officials have been working through the night to finalise everything from seating plans to outfits to ‘comfort breaks’ for the senior royals. Courtiers are determined that the King and Queen Consort’s coronations at Westminster Abbey will go without a hitch.
But behind the scenes it’s been chaotic due to King Charles III wanting to sign off on every detail. Senior royal women, including Catherine, Princess of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh only received confirmation over what tiaras and jewellery the King wanted them to wear last week, prompting a rush to get their gowns finished in time.
The King has been struggling with his own outfit. During a fitting for his elaborate robes, the 74-year-old is understood to have commented on how heavy they were, leading aides to express ‘real fears’ that he could stumble on a walk up to the chairs of state. As a result, master craftsmen have been drafted in to build a ramp up to the two Throne Chairs. The King and Camilla, Queen Consort have been practising their choreography in a ‘mock-up Abbey’ built inside Buckingham Palace’s vast ballroom.
The seating arrangements were only finalised once Prince Harry confirmed he would be attending, although without the Duchess of Sussex and their children.
Meanwhile, Prince George, nine, will have a major role as a page for his grandfather, while Camilla’s three grandsons and great-nephew will serve as pages to carry her train.
Around 850 of the 2,500 guests will be community heroes, many of whom have been awarded British Empire medals for their charity work. The King has made it clear that he wants this to be a ‘People’s coronation’.
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