King Charles' coronation could face a 'constitutional crisis' because of his divorce from Princess Diana, a royal biographer has claimed.
- King Charles's coronation could face 'revisions' due to his divorce from Princess Diana, a royal expert has claimed.
- His Majesty will be the first divorced man to be crowned King by the Church of England at the state ceremony on May 6.
- In other royal news, Prince Harry wants a ‘family, not an institution’ as he claims royals painted him and Meghan as ‘villains’.
King Charles's upcoming coronation could be affected by the monarch's divorced status, a royal insider has claimed.
His Majesty will be crowned on Saturday, May 6, in what will be Britain's first coronation ceremony in over 70 years.
The 74-year-old is expected to break royal tradition by holding a 'scaled back' service at Westminster Abbey, in light of the UK cost of living crisis. It's understood that the monarch will do without much of the pomp and grandeur present at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, with its smaller guest list and shorter length set to reflect the 'spirit of the times'.
Before being anointed as King with holy oil, Charles will take an oath to uphold the law and the Church of England from the 'Coronation Chair'. St Edward's Crown will then be placed on his head, and he will move towards the throne. His wife Camilla will also go through the same process to become Queen Consort.
However, it's now understood that the King's coronation oath could be subject to change due to his marital history.
Charles separated from his first wife, Princess Diana, in 1992, after years of pursuing a romantic relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. The former prince would go on to marry Camilla in 2005 in a civil ceremony at Guidhall Hall in Windsor, having received the Queen's stamp approval five years prior to one day propose to the English socialite.
In a letter to the Guardian, royal biographer Anthony Holden has explored how the King's divorced status could wreak havoc on his upcoming coronation plans.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles divorced in 1996
He writes how Robert Runcie, who was once Archbishop of Canterbury, once told him that in order for a divorced man to be crowned King, "a revision of the coronation oath" and a "new statute of parliament" would be required.
"Given the convention that parliament does not debate the monarchy without the monarch’s consent – it is his or her government, after all, not ours – this would require the prime minister of the day to seek King Charles III’s permission to debate whether or not it felt able to crown him," the English author explains. "This, Runcie told me, would amount to a constitutional crisis."
