Scenes from the coronation of Elizabeth II went around the world when the young queen in 1953 walked out of Westminster Abbey and walked several kilometres to Buckingham Palace, which was filled with crowds of cheering subjects from all over the country. The eight-mile procession route followed Regent Street, Oxford Street and Park Lane.

Her Majesty’s glorious coronation ceremony cost around £ 1.57 million. Charles’ coronation is expected to be less expensive.

In terms of the religious service itself, Charles’ coronation has been cut down to more than 60 minutes – compared to the late Queen’s lengthy four-hour service.

In keeping with a more modest coronation, King Charles has reportedly slashed his guestlist to just 2,000 guests. For context, the late Queen’s coronation was attended by 8,250 guests.

Queen Elizabeth II’s grand procession featured more than 40,000 UK and Commonwealth service personnel and 24 marching military bands elsewhere.

The size of Charles’ procession is likely to be much smaller, given that Britain’s Armed Forces are shrinking at an alarming rate. Monarch will take a direct route to Buckingham Palace via Whitehall, Admiralty Arch and The Mall.

Camilla will be crowned alongside her husband during his Coronation. She will be the first Queen Consort in almost a century to be crowned in Westminster Abbey.

However, her husband, Prince Philip, was not crowned alongside her at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation despite being the Queen’s consort.

King Charles may break with tradition – ditching the more traditional clothing worn by his predecessors, and he will very likely introduce a more relaxed dress code featuring lounge suits in lieu of full ceremonial robes made from crimson velvet and ermine.

Reflecting modern Britain, it has been argued that His Majesty may choose to wear his military uniform.

Back in 1953, a 25-year-old Queen Elizabeth II wore an extravagant white duchesse satin gown embroidered with strings of pearls, sequins and crystals.

The late Queen’s coronation was the first ever to be televised and an estimated 27 million people in the UK watched the ceremony on television, with 11 million tuning in on the radio.

It is likely that the Coronation of the King will also be televised, particularly as the Accession Council in September last year was televised for the first time ever.

Author: Patrycja Bodzek-Kurzyńska

 Photo: BBC / REUTERS-Toby Melville