Kate Middleton, Prince William Almost Made King Charles Lose It on Coronation Day
It has been one year since King Charles‘s coronation as the United Kingdom’s monarch. The day was full of pomp and pageantry and appeared to go off without a hitch. However, one moment almost made King Charles lose it. And it all had to do with Kate Middleton and Prince William.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s coronation snafu
King Charles prepared his entire life for the moment of his coronation. The whole day was planned down to the letter, and every possible problem was predicted in advance except for one.
Per Daniella Elser, writer and royal commentator for News.com.au, Prince William and Kate Middleton came close to turning the entire carefully orchestrated day on its head. She believes this element of Charles’s coronation was “largely overlooked at the time.”
“Prince William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, came very close to truly buggering up the day. One possible reason for this snafu? William and Kate wanted to do some Instagramming,” she claims.
Within her commentary, Elser cites royal biographer Robert Hardman’s remarks in his book Charles III: The Inside Story. He wrote that Charles’ trip to Westminster Abbey in the Golden State Coach moved too fast. Therefore, both Charles and Camilla arrived too early.
He continued, “Although the congregation inside the abbey don’t know it, there is an awkward scene unfolding outside as the king and queen remain in their coach. It is an added layer of stress that the couple really do not want or need on a day like this.”
The issue unfolding behind the scenes was that William and Kate were too far behind. Why? The author writes, “Conflicting sources will suggest that the Waleses’ decision to make a Coronation Day video added precious seconds to their schedule and made them late.”
How late were Prince William and Kate Middleton to King Charles’ coronation?
Prince William and Kate Middleton were set to arrive eight minutes ahead of King Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, at Westminster Abbey. Then, the couple and their children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (Prince George was a page and arrived separately), were to enter the Abbey first, followed by Charles and Camilla.
However, because the couple reportedly chose to Instagram the day, they arrived precisely eight minutes later than the monarch. “It is unusual for the two most important arrivals at such a significant event, and over such a well-trodden route, to be so unpunctual,” author Robert Hardman writes.
“The result is some frantic rewriting of the running order. There isn’t time for the Waleses and their two younger children to enter ahead of the King and Queen. They must now follow behind and bring up the rear.”
Looking back, many appeared just to assume that was the running order of the coronation. The consensus was that Prince William walked behind his father during the ceremony in a supportive move.
Why did Kate and William need to Instagram their involvement in the coronation?
Daniela Elser believes that Prince William and Kate Middleton likely thought their participation in the day would elevate their “brand.” The couple and their children were featured in several self-promoting clips that have racked up millions of views and likes on Instagram.
The couple also shared several posts with still images from the day. These included a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance and the moment Prince William stood before his father as his “liege man of life and limb.”
This symbolic moment marked William, the heir to the throne, as his father’s “liege man,” meaning he has a “mutual obligation to the monarch,” according to the coronation’s liturgy. He said aloud, “I, William, Prince of Wales, pledge my loyalty to you, and faith and truth I will bear unto you, as your liege man of life and limb. So help me, God.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton did not reshare the initial Instagram posts to mark the one-year anniversary of King Charles’ coronation.
