King Charles coronation: Prince George gets glimpse of future
In a coronation packed with royal firsts, Prince George got a glimpse of what his future holds. Here’s what it showed.
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Holding his grandfather’s robes, Prince George played a historic role in the Westminster Abbey coronation that is one day expected to be repeated to crown him as the king.
The nine-year-old, dressed in a scarlet tunic and carrying a ceremonial sword, was the youngest of eight Pages of Honour chosen by King Charles and Queen Camilla to form part of Saturday’s ceremony.
George, the first future king to play an official role at a coronation, appeared composed and serious as he aided his grandfather’s entrance. It marked his biggest moment on the world stage so far and provided the youngster a remarkable glimpse at his future.
While he is still a whole generation and then some away from ever being in that position, he too will one day be crowned a king.
In joining the procession Prince George was the youngest future monarch to ever play a senior role in a coronation.
King Charles was four-years old when he attended his mother’s coronation in 1953 but was deemed too young to be given any duty and attended only as a “guest”.
George, Prince William’s eldest son, was one of eight Pages of Honour, resplendent in a knee-length scarlet coat with gold trimmings over a white satin waistcoat.
Royal watchers took to social media to point out how mature he looked, even if his gaze did dash about the church during the ceremony no doubt looking for his mum and dad and siblings who arrived at the church separately to him.
Australian body language expert Louise Mahler said Prince George and the other pages behaved impeccably during the ceremony.
The future king showed that he does not take his royal duties lightly, she said.
“He and the other three boys were beautifully behaved. They took it all in their stride,” Dr Mahler said.
“It is noted that he is much younger than the other boys who are 13.
“He was showing his frustration as such a long event by sucking in his checks in left, then right.
“He seems to be a strong, well balanced thoughtful child who takes his responsibility seriously.”
The Princess of Wales told royal fans earlier in the week that the three children were excited for the coronation, “especially as they are off from school”.
She said George – who is second in line to the throne – was looking forward to his historic place in the proceedings.
“Having done a few rehearsals, I think everyone is a bit more relaxed,” Catherine said.
Asked if Louis would behave, she said with a laugh: “I hope so … You never quite know with kids.”
Veteran royal biographer Hugh Vickers commended the move to give George an official role.
“Bringing George in sends all the right symbolism for the future and gives him something he will always remember,” he said.
George was joined as a page on Saturday by three sons of the King’s friends: Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, Nicholas Barclay, 13, and Ralph Tollemache, 12.
But his cousins Archie and Lilibet – the children of Prince Harry and Meghan – remained behind in California with their mother to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday.
BLENDED FAMILY REPRESENTED
In a reflection of a modern blended family, the Queen was shepherded down the aisle by her three grandsons, twins Gus and Louis Lopes, 13, and Freddy Parker Bowles, 13, as well as her great-nephew, Arthur Elliot, 10.
Gus performed his duties carrying the King’s heavy robes without a sling on his right arm, which had been required in recent days after he reportedly broke it in a bike accident.
Freddy’s father Tom Parker Bowles said before the coronation that he was not letting the pressure get to him, despite the coronation marking the first time the Queen’s grandchildren had been thrust into the limelight with official roles.
“I don’t think (Freddy) has a sense of the occasion,” he said.
The King’s pages wore a uniform first seen at the coronation of Edward VII in 1902, their tunics matched with silk satin waistcoats, wool trousers and boots, while the uniforms of the Queen’s pages paid tribute to her military affiliations to the Rifles and Grenadiers units.
The moment came 70 years after Charles, then aged four, became the first child to witness his mother’s coronation. But he played no official role in Queen Elizabeth II’s ceremony, instead watching alongside his grandmother and his aunt Princess Margaret.
Likewise, then-Princess Elizabeth and sister Princess Margaret, aged 11 and six, were both present at their father King George VI’s coronation in May 1937.
Westminster Abbey was covered with a “haze of wonder,” Elizabeth wrote in her diary, adding, “then we all went on to the Balcony where millions of people were waiting below.”
The Wales siblings were also expected to be a part of the wider weekend celebrations, including the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, after Louis hit the headlines for his antics at last year’s Jubilee Pageant – throwing a cushion around, sitting on Grandpa Charles’s knee and blowing raspberries at mum Catherine.
‘PROFOUND IMPACT ON A CHILD’S LIFE’
The 2300-strong crowd at Westminster Abbey on Saturday also included Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 19, and her 15-year-old brother James, the Earl of Wessex, accompanied by their parents the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Psychologist Catherine Hallissey said big events such as the coronation would have “a profound impact on a child’s life”.
“The coronation is likely to be a time of great celebration as well as a positive family event, likely to become a warm and happy memory for George, Charlotte and Louis,” she said.
She suggested George would have mixed emotions as he came to realise he would one day undertake the same ceremony, with all its pomp, pledging his life to the service of the crown.
“In any family business, there can be an expectation that the children will eventually join it, which can be both positive and negative. Positive where the child may feel there is a place for them in the future, and negative in the sense that their future destiny is to conform to expectations,” the psychologist said.
“The royal family is no exception. George may feel excited by the ceremony now but later may have complex feelings about his role as future king.”
Originally published as King Charles coronation: Prince George gets glimpse of future
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