With just over three weeks to go until Charles is crowned King at Westminster Abbey, preparations, plans and logistics for the day are being fine tuned to ensure everything runs smoothly. But it seems recent rehearsals for the momentous occasion have descended into 'chaos' as things went 'significantly over schedule'.
The Daily Record reports that, while royal aides and palace staff are working overtime to ensure the event goes without a hitch, there are fears that the Coronation could overrun, causing the nation to "switch off". What's more, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly not yet confirmed whether they will be in attendance, leading to much speculation around the day.
In addition to the matter of whether the couple will join the rest of the royal family in the celebrations, The Mirror reports that there is a catalogue of other issues palace officials are needing to sort before the big day.
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These include:
- Seating plans are still not arranged, owing to Prince Harry and Meghan who have still not confirmed their attendance despite the April 3 cut off.
- There are fears that the King could stumble over his elaborate robes in front of a TV audience of 100 million.
- There are disagreements over the Coronation route, with planners wanting a smaller procession to keep costs down in order to avoid scrutiny.
- There has been confusion over whether women will wear tiaras into the church before the Queen Consort enters the Abbey.
- Prince Andrew is reportedly angry about a potential ban on wearing Garter Knight robes, following his 'exile' from the Royal Family.
Sources told the Mirror that the King and Queen Consort have been practising their roles for the day inside a "mock-up Abbey", which has been specially built inside Buckingham Palace. Insiders are reportedly concerned that Charles may trip up during the Coronation, after the King noted how heavy his official robes are.
In recent days, master craftsmen have been drafted in to build a ramp up to the two Throne Chairs, so the King does not struggle getting into his seat. One source remarked how indecision between the households had also led to rows over what tiaras the female royals would wear.
They added: "Senior female royals were only informed of outfits this week prompting a rush to finalise fitting arrangements." And, while on the subject of attire for the day, it has also been reported that disgraced Prince Andrew hasn't yet been told whether he will be granted permission to wear the grand velvet robes and glistening insignia that denotes his position as a Knight of the Garter.
The Duke of York paid £12million in an out of court settlement to Virginia Giuffre last year, and was subsequently blocked from appearing alongside the late Queen in her final appearance at the traditional Garter Day procession in Windsor. Insiders added that Andrew was 'furious' at the fact that not only was he missing out on a central role during the celebrations, he could also be forced to wear a simple suit to the event.
An insider said: “It’s all very frantic, complete chaos to be frank. There is a plan, which is supposed to be the blueprint of how the day should operate, but things are changing daily which is causing massive headaches.”
Other royal sources last night attempted to dampen down the anxiety, saying: “It’s fair to say it will go down to the wire, but there is huge confidence everything will go to plan on the day. This is naturally a huge event and the important point is everyone is pulling in the right direction.
"The King and Queen Consort want it to be perfect as does everyone involved which is why everything is being done to make it so.” Plans for the Coronation seen by the Mirror showed the service beginning at 11am and finishing at 12.45pm, with the King’s procession setting off from the Abbey back to Buckingham Palace at 1pm.
Charles was reportedly keen to have a larger procession through central London, but was persuaded against it by senior aides. The source continued: “Everything should be planned to the minute and such overruns would be a disaster.
"The schedule from the programme, the carriages, balcony appearance and the RAF flypast is planned to the minute, so it’s all incredibly stressful. If the service is too long, or too complicated, the television audience will turn off and that could be devastating.
"(We) want to create a sense of majesty and Charles and Camilla have seen months of protests by a growing republican movement."
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