King Charles changed a centuries-old tradition in order to support his eldest grandson, Prince George, who made a special request to his grandfather.
- On Saturday, May 6, 2023, the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla took place.
- For this historic royal event, Prince George had a very special role as a Page of Honor.
- In other royal news, The seriously relatable reason Prince William and Kate were late for the coronation.
Despite Kate's concerns about 'overwhelming scrutiny'Prince George took on huge coronation responsibility at the Coronation over the weekend. The Prince acted as one of the eight pages who assisted the King and Queen during the ceremony and helped them to carry their ceremonial robes.
Although the Prince was much younger than some of the pages who were also selected, he completed the role admirably and was praised by viewers who watched the celebrations. However, there was a slight snag in the original plan, and Prince George asked King Charles to change a centuries-old tradition so that he could be more comfortable.
It has been reported that the young Prince was not keen on the idea of wearing tights and breeches and was concerned that his school friends might laugh at him if they saw him on television wearing this uniform.
Of course, breeches and tights have been part of the Pages of Honor royal attire for centuries, and changing this would mean changing a long-held tradition.
For example, in 1902 Queen Alexandra, the queen-consort of British monarch Edward VII, was photographed with her pages after her coronation in London. This image shows the traditional garments.
But as we know, at King Charles III's coronation the Pages did not wear breeches and tights and instead wore long black trousers with their traditional coats. So why this sudden change? According to one royal courtier, the Prince actually asked his grandfather if he could wear something more modern to avoid ridicule.
A royal courtier told the Mail Online's Ephraim Hardcastle, "He also wasn't keen on wearing tights and becoming a subject of ribaldry at school." The Mail then reported that following this request, the King then allowed the change of custom to the traditional attire.
The Pages of Honor for King Charles' Coronation were His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Master Nicholas Barclay, and Master Ralph Tollemache, who all assisted the King. The Queen Consort’s Pages of Honour were Her Majesty’s grandsons, Master Gus and Master Louis Lopes and Master Freddy Parker Bowles, and Her Majesty’s great-nephew, Master Arthur Elliot.
These young boys in aristocratic families were also affected by this change in tradition as it meant that they too could wear long trousers and avoid any potential ridicule from classmates who wouldn't be as impressed by their important role if they were wearing something so old-fashioned.
