King Charles' Coronation Already Has International Controversy Brewing
The details for King Charles III's coronation have finally been confirmed, and preparations are underway for the event, which will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey. In the announcement, the palace stated, "The coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry."
Sources have revealed that Charles' event will be different from the coronation of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. According to The Telegraph, the guest list will be capped at 2,000 people, compared to the 8,000 that attended almost 70 years ago. The ceremony — which will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury — will also be much shorter for Charles, clocking in at just one hour, instead of three, per the Daily Mail.
William, Prince of Wales, will also play an important role in the coronation, and his two older children, Prince George of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales, are both expected to be in attendance. "The ceremony will likely highlight the line of succession, with William, Kate, and their children featured more prominently than other members of the family," royal author Katie Nicholl wrote in Vanity Fair.
Of course, Charles' wife, Camilla, queen consort, will also be crowned during the coronation. But a crown that she was planning to wear to the ceremony is already stirring up controversy.
Camilla's crown at the coronation could spark controversy
Camilla, queen consort, will have to choose the crown she wears to the coronation wisely — or it could lead to an international controversy. According to Page Six, the purple crown created for the queen mother to wear at her coronation with husband King George VI in 1937 features the Koh-i-noor diamond, a 105-carat diamond that was stolen by the East India Company and given to Queen Victoria in the 19th century.
The diamond's place in the crown — worth an estimated $1 billion — has led to tensions between India and Great Britain. After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, some would like to see the stone returned to India. "The original plan was for the queen consort to be crowned with the late Queen Mother's crown when her husband acceded to the throne," a source told the Daily Mail. "But times have changed and His Majesty ... is acutely sensitive to these issues, as are his advisors. There are serious political sensitivities and significant nervousness around them, particularly regarding India."
As a result, the stone in the crown might be replaced with another selection from the Crown Jewels, or Camilla could wear another option to the coronation. Buckingham Palace has not commented on the matter yet.
Camilla will likely get first pick of the queen's jewelry
If Camilla, queen consort, doesn't wear the controversial crown at the coronation, she will have plenty of other jewels to choose from. Not only are there the Crown Jewels — worth an estimated $4 billion — but the late Queen Elizabeth II also had a vast personal collection, which included 34 pairs of earrings, 15 rings, and 98 brooches, per the Daily Mail.
Sources have revealed that Camilla and Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, will probably inherit the bulk of Elizabeth's collection. As editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward told the Daily Mail, the queen likely designated who should get which piece long before her death at the age of 96. "I imagine Her late Majesty's personal jewelry will be given to various members of her family," she said, adding that Camilla "will need a large collection to support her constitutional role."
There are two pieces of the late monarch's jewelry that no one will inherit — her wedding band and a pair of pearl earrings — because Queen Elizabeth was buried wearing both. "This simple act of love seems fitting for a woman who actively enjoyed the simple things in life and, because of her strong faith, believed that she would enjoy the riches of heaven," Mok O'Keeffe of LGBTQ+ royalist group GayAristo told Metro UK.