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Wales Online
Wales Online
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Jennifer Newton & Stephen Pitts

Royals who will have roles at coronation of King Charles

With the coronation of King Charles just over six weeks away, speculation is mounting as to which royals will have a role to play in the Westminster Abbey ceremony. He will be officially crowned on May 6 with final preparations for the big day in the process of being finalised.

Although Buckingham Palace is yet to confirm the exact roles for each member of the family, there have been numerous reports on what we can expect to see - and the Mirror has taken a detailed look at them.

Queen Camilla

Not only will King Charles be crowned, so too will his wife Queen Camilla. She will go through the same service as her husband and will eventually be crowned using Queen Mary’s Crown during the historic event on May 6.

It is the first time in recent history that an already existing crown will be used during the coronation of a Queen Consort instead of a new one being made. The palace says the decision to do this was made "in the interests of sustainability and efficiency".

However, the palace says that some minor changes and additions will be made to it by the Crown Jeweller "in keeping with the longstanding tradition that the insertion of jewels is unique to the occasion, and reflects the Consort’s individual style".

The changes will see the crown reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds, which were part of Queen Elizabeth's personal jewellery collection for many years and often worn by her as brooches.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that rarely seen grandkids are set to star in the Coronation. The Sunday Times says that Camilla has asked her grandchildren to hold a canopy over her as she is anointed with holy oil during a part of the ceremony.

Her son Tom Parker Bowles has two children Lola, 15, and Freddy, 13, and her daughter Laura Lopes has Eliza, 15, and twins Louis and Gus, 13.

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Prince and Princess of Wales

As heir to the throne and the next King, Charles' eldest son Prince William is expected to play a major role in the coronation. And it has been reported he may be the only one to carry out an important tradition usually reserved for royal dukes.

According to the Sunday Times, he pay homage to his father the King during the ceremony, which will see him kneel and pledge allegiance to Charles as well as touching the crown and kissing the monarch's right cheek.

It is also believed he will take part in the huge procession after the service from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace before taking part in a balcony appearance. According to coronation rehearsal documents seen by The Times, Kate will be among the working royals taking part in the carriage procession and balcony appearance with her husband.

Dr Tessa Dunlop previously told the Mirror: "History suggests working royals will stand out. In 1953 the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret travelled to the Abbey with the Queen Mother and they sat in a box overlooking proceedings with a four-year-old Prince Charles squashed between them.

"A similar scenario for the Princess of Wales and her three children is likely – William and his offspring are next in line to the throne and coronations deliberately emphasise the order of precedence and succession. Like it or not, this state occasion is all about royal hierarchy."

The coronation of King Charles will take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey (PA)

Prince George

One of the youngest set to take part in the coronation is another future King - Prince George. It is believed he will be among the royals taking part in a procession from the Abbey - joining his parents in a carriage behind the King and Queen, who will be in the gold state coach.

But given the fact he is second-in-line to the throne, it has been reported he might get a role during the ceremony itself, although it is believed that William and Kate would prefer George's role to be small.

Sunday Times royal editor Roya Nikkhah previously told True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat: "They are very keen, but if George does have an official role, it will be quite low-key. They are very conscious that he will return to school on the Tuesday [after the coronation], and they do not want him to be overwhelmed by the attention. But he may play a smaller official role."

Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

Along with their older brother George, Princess Charlotte, who will be eight at the time of the coronation, and Prince Louis, who will have turned five, are expected in the procession.

They too will join the royals as they leave the Abbey and head back to Buckingham Palace in a huge procession. Charlotte attended the late Queen's funeral last September with George, but Louis did not as he was deemed too young.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

It is still not clear if Harry and Meghan will choose to come to the UK for the coronation or decide to stay at home. However, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed they had been in contact with the Palace over the coronation and would make a decision in due course.

But according to The Times, if they do decide to head to London for the historic event, as working royals, they will find themselves without official roles in the procession.

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet

Archie and Lilibet, whose royal titles were revealed earlier this month, are Charles' youngest grandchildren with Archie turning four on the day of the coronation and Lilibet almost two. And The Times reports that they still haven't been invited to the spectacle as yet - although both are still very young.

However, one royal historian says Archie should be invited to the coronation if King Charles wants Meghan there. Speaking on True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat, Dr Tessa Dunlop said: "It's his fourth birthday on the day of the coronation...

"If you look at the footage of the 1953 coronation, who was very prominent, albeit briefly? Prince Charles. He was four. Archie on his fourth birthday is definitely not too young to attend the coronation. And if you want Meghan there, you need to invite her son."

Prince Andrew

It has not been confirmed if disgraced Prince Andrew will be at the coronation on May 6 and it is reported he will not play a role in the ceremony. However, if he is present in the Abbey, he faces being banned by the King from wearing ceremonial robes.

The Mirror previously reported that he Duke of York is furious after being kept in the dark over a decision on whether he can dress in the grand velvet robes and glistening insignia denoting his position as a Knight of the Garter.

Charles is torn over whether to allow his disgraced brother to don the theatrical regalia after Andrew was forced to step back from royal duties. The King’s coronation will be a designated “Collar Day” meaning members of the Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain, may wear the regalia and collar that signifies the British orders of knighthood they belong to.

Andrew now faces being ordered to wear a lounge suit after he was stripped of his military appointment Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, although he remains a Vice Admiral because of his service in the Royal Navy.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

Both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are not working members of the Royal Family - and hold down outside jobs . According to The Times, this will mean they will not play a role or be in the procession - similar to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle if they attend.

Other royals

Other than the King, Queen Consort, Prince and Princess and Wales and their family, there will be others who take part in the coronation - especially the procession out of the Abbey after the service is over - and they are nearly all working royals.

According to The Times, these will include the King's only sister Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, who isn't a working royal but often accompanies Anne on engagements.

Also in the procession, will reportedly be Prince Edward and wife Sophie, who were recently granted the new titles of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Others are believed to include the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester as well as the Duke of Kent and his sister Princess Alexandra.

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