The Special Way 4-Year-Old King Charles Was Invited to His Mother Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Coronation
King Charles was just four years old when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, was crowned. In 1953, Charles would have never believed he, too, would one day ascend to the throne. However, he understood his family’s place in history, and Elizabeth wanted him to feel welcome and comfortable at the event. Therefore, she found a unique way to make Charles feel included at the adults-only celebration.
King Charles was invited in a very special way to his mother, Queen Elizabeth’s, coronation
King Charles was just four when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, became queen of the United Kingdom. She ascended to the throne after the death of her father, George VI, at 25 years old.
By her side was her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. At that time, the couple were parents to Charles and his younger sister, Princess Anne.
The coronation was a long and very serious religious event. However, Elizabeth wanted Charles to feel comfortable with attending.
Therefore, Queen Elizabeth commissioned a special invitation for her son to make him feel included. It was specially illustrated to interest Charles.
The invitation, held by the Royal Commission Trust, reads in the following manner. “By command of the queen, the Earl Marshall is directed to invite His Royal Highness Prince Charles to the coronation on Tuesday, June 3, 1953.”
The invite was illustrated with a forest, a lion, and a unicorn, surrounded by the Queen’s Guard, blowing horns. Also seen was Union Jack.
King Charles was the only child invited to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation ceremony
It’s worth noting that Prince Charles was only four years old when Queen Elizabeth II was coronated, so it’s difficult to say how engaged or interested he was in the ceremony. It’s possible that being so young, he may not have fully understood the significance of the event or may have been overwhelmed by the spectacle.
Additionally, the ceremony was three hours long, which may have been challenging for a young child to sit through without getting restless. Nonetheless, Prince Charles attended the coronation alongside other royal family members, and the event was a critical moment in British history.
He would be the only child at the event. Anne was deemed too young to attend.
Will there be children at King Charles’ coronation ceremony?
Thus far, it appears that the children who will appear at the coronation ceremony of King Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles will be few. The youngest children in attendance are the offspring of Kate Middleton and Prince William.
Prince George will have a significant role in his grandfather’s long-awaited coronation. The 9-year-old will be one of several coronation pages for Charles and Camilla.
Other coronation pages include the grandchildren of Camilla Parker Bowles, including fraternal twins Gus and Louis Lopes, ages 13. Another of Camilla’s grandsons, Freddy Parker Bowles, is also 13 and will assist with the day’s events at the coronation. The pages will help the king or Queen during certain ceremony parts.
Prince Geroge’s siblings, sister Princess Charlotte, 8, and brother Prince Louis, 4, also attend the coronation. The Cambridge children will be the youngest attendees at the ceremony.
The coronation of King Charles III and Camilla Parker Bowles will occur on May 6, 2023. The event takes place at Westminster Abbey.
