“When it comes to ceremonial events such as a coronation and the State Opening of Parliament there are very set and traditional protocols that are followed,” explains Victoria Murphy, a journalist who covers the British royal family. You can expect Charles (who holds the title of longest waiting heir to the British throne) to follow the royal rituals. The then Prince Charles was just four years old when his mother Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953 in what was touted as the most expensive and extravagant coronation to date, and it was the first ever televised live. It’s the world’s largest cut white diamond, and just one of the priceless sacred objects that are used in the coronation service to represent the monarch’s power and responsibilities.Īs much as King Charles may want to streamline the monarchy, some things, like the coronation service-which has been conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury since the Norman Conquest in 1066-are dictated by tradition. Those aren’t optional.įor starters, Charles will be holding the sovereign’s gold Scepter with the mammoth Cullinan I diamond, which weighs in at 530.2 carats.

There were rumors that King Charles wanted a more low-key coronation ceremony, when he is crowned on May 6, but there’s no doubt that the jewels will play a starring role.

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