William and Kate ‘considering Prince George role’ at coronation

Prince George might be given an official role at his grandfather’s coronation on Saturday 6 May, it has been reported.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be considering whether their eldest child, nine-year-old George, and second in line to the throne, should be included in the congregation at Westminster Abbey.

The Telegraph reports that his siblings Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, are expected to attend the ceremony as spectators and won’t have an official role to play.

According to the newspaper, Prince William and Kate Middleton are still considering what would be best for their son, given the media attention his son will be subject to.

The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.

It has also been said that Camilla’s five grandchildren, may have a role in the coronation.The Sunday Times reported that the Queen has asked that her grandchildren hold the canopy over her, according to a claim made by a royal source.

This would be an unprecedented move considering that her grandchildren are from the Parker-Bowles side of her family. According to the publication, the move would reflect the reality of a modern blended family.

Her son Tom Parker Bowles has two children aged 15 and 13 and her daughter Laura Lopes has a 15-year-old daughter and twins aged 13.

Meanwhile, the palace has not confirmed whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children, Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, will be attending the ceremony.

It comes after family relations between the family are said to be fraught since Prince Harry published his tell-all memoir, Spare, on 10 January. In it, the duke detailed aspects of his relationship with his father and brother, alleging that William physically attacked him and that his brother disapproved of his wife Meghan.

In a statement, representatives said: “Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce that the coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6 May 2023.

“The coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

The statement continued: “The ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside the Queen Consort.

“The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.”

The last time Britain held a coronation ceremony was 70 years ago when the Queen was crowned on 2 June 1953 at the age of 27.

Prior to that, her father King George VI’s coronation ceremony took place 16 years earlier in 1937, when Queen Elizabeth II was just 11 years old.

Buckingham Palace have revealed that the King’s coronation will be a “slimmed-down affair”. At the event, there are expected to be 2,000 guests in attendance, a stark contrast to the 8,000 guests present at the Queen’s coronation in 1953.

Read everything you need to know about King Charles’ coronation here.