14 Wild Coronation Rules King Charles Has to Follow—and 5 Major Rules He’s Breaking
King Charles became England’s official monarch the second his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away on September 8, 2022, but his official coronation is going down now—and it is full of pomp and circumstance. Not to mention orbs, scepters, and a delightful array of hilarious hats (although actually, they might be banned—more on that in a minute).
As we all know, the British royals are pretty much obsessed with protocol, and King Charles’s coronation is no exception. There are a ton of rules he’s expected to follow, some of which stem from a straight-up rule book called Liber Regalis, which was written in 1308. Of course, several traditions have been changed and amended over the years—and King Charles’s coronation is more modern than Queen Elizabeth’s was back in 1953. Even so, royal protocol is a T-H-I-N-G, so here’s what to know.
The Royal Coronation Rules
King Charles has to walk up the aisle of Westminster Abbey, just like he’d do at a royal wedding.
He has to take the coronation oath, which is the only part of the ceremony actually required by law. Per the House of Commons website, “The wording of this oath has constantly evolved to reflect changes to the territorial composition of the UK and the wider Commonwealth.”
He has to sit in King Edward’s chair, which was made in 1300 and has been used by every sovereign since the 1600s. Simply no other chair will do!
At some point, he’ll be wearing an ermine fur, although this could be axed considering other tweaks to Charles’s ’fit, which we’ll get to in a moment.
He has to be anointed by the “coronation spoon,” which is part of the crown jewels. Think we can all agree this is a huge, HUGE moment for spoons as a brand.
Speaking of anointing, Charles will wear a simple white gown during this part of the ceremony—if he follows tradition—and will be covered by a canopy.
Charles will likely wear a “cap of maintenance” until he gets crowned, which is basically a fancy fabric hat.
He has to hold an orb and scepter. Which honestly might be a kinda rough look if he’s hoping to avoid “eat the rich” vibes, but do you, Charles!
He has to appear on Buckingham Palace’s balcony following the coronation—where the rest of the royal family will join him.
Traditionally, princesses (think Princess Kate, Princess Charlotte, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice) wear purple velvet mantles with ermine trim over their dresses.
Princesses and princes typically wear a special “coronet” during the ceremony. (Prince William’s will be extra fancy because he’s the heir.)
As for guests, men are expected to be in uniform or morning dress, while women in 1953 were asked to wear evening or afternoon dresses with a veil.
Hats are not permitted (but tiaras are).
Charles has to wear St. Edward’s Crown, the official crown of the monarch.
So, What “Rules” Will Charles Break?
He *won’t* wear silk stockings and breeches and will instead wear a military uniform. (A source told The Sun, “Senior aides think breeches look too dated.”)
Dukes no longer have to kneel and swear allegiance. However, The Sun reports that Prince William may do so as a symbolic gesture.
Peers may be allowed to wear lounge suits instead of ceremonial robes, per the Daily Mail.
Charles won’t be presented with a buncha gold bars. Which. Yeah. It’s probably for the best, for obvious reasons.
Traditional velvet chairs won’t be used for guests. Sorry! Prepare to be uncomfortable, everyone!
And that’s it for now, but we’ll update it should the royals pull a Dua Lipa and come up with some new rules.
You Might Also Like
