King Charles was 'frustrated and 'bored' over William's and Kate coronation error
King Charles was said to have been upset by an error made by Kate Middleton and Prince William on his coronation.
An error by Prince William and his wife apparently didn’t go down well with his dad on the day he was coronation. Author Robert Hardman penned in his book, Charles III: The Inside Story, that King Charles was “frustrated” by William and the Princess of Wales’ lateness. A lipreader at the time even managed to catch what the king had said about their tardiness.
King Charles wasn’t happy with Prince Charles and Kate Middleton
In the book, Hardman writes Kate Middleton and Prince William were late with their young children to King Charles’ coronation by a minute and a half. This meant Charles and Camila were left sitting in the Golden State Coach. The procession to Westminster Abbey was meant to take 33 minutes but was short by seven minutes and only took 26.
“Unbeknown to them, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their two younger children are running a minute and a half late. The Waleses are supposed to be there eight minutes ahead of the King and Queen. Yet they will now arrive after them,” he claimed.
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He continued by saying it added a “layer of stress” to the coronation, which took place nearly seven months after the death of his mom, Queen Elizabeth.
“Although the congregation inside the abbey don’t know it, there is an awkward scene unfolding outside as the King and Queen remain in their coach. It is an added layer of stress that the couple really do not want or need on a day like this.”
‘Frantic rewriting of the running order’ says author
The author claimed Kate Middleton and Prince William being late meant there was “some frantic rewriting of the running order” for King Charles’ coronation. They ended up being behind the king’s couch when they should have been in front of it. Hardman suggested the royal couple’s decision to make a video on the important day caused the delay.
“Conflicting sources will suggest that the Waleses’ decision to make a Coronation Day video has added precious seconds to their schedule and made them late. Kensington Palace staff working for the Waleses say that because the King was early, the car carrying William and Catherine was caught behind his procession when it should have been ahead.”
He continued: “The Prince of Wales’s equerry, Commander Rob Dixon, will take a fair amount of flak, nonetheless. It is unusual for the two most important arrivals at such a significant event, and over such a well-trodden route, to be so unpunctual.”
“The result is some frantic rewriting of the running order. There isn’t time for the Waleses and their two younger children to enter ahead of the King and Queen. They must now follow behind and bring up the rear.”
However, he speculated it could have been down to nerves from the pair about those who were protesting.
“One factor, unspoken, may have been nervousness about street protests. More than 11,500 police have been drafted in from all over the country, making this the largest police operation ever mounted in London.”
What did the king say?
A lipreader claimed King Charles made his annoyance at Kate Middleton and Prince William being late to his coronation well known. They caught him saying statements such as “We can never be on time…” and “There’s always something…. This is boring.”
Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani said after the ceremony there had been “one or two” hiccups but emphasized he wasn’t trying to point the finger at anybody in particular.
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