Over the next week the country will be immersed in Operation London Bridge: the meticulous plans made across many years to deal with the event of the Queen’s death.
But once Elizabeth II’s state funeral – likely to be held on Monday 19 September – is over, attention will turn to another important set of plans: Operation Golden Orb.
This is the codename for the secret plans surrounding the coronation of King Charles III.
Although he immediately became King upon the death of his mother and was officially proclaimed sovereign in today’s accession, he has yet to be crowned in an official coronation ceremony, which is likely to be sometime in spring. Also it’s
This will be a much quicker turnaround than the Queen’s, which was 16 months after her accession.
The Queen’s coronation was extremely lavish, costing £1.57 million – the equivalent of £46 million today.
But the nation shouldn’t expect similar when Charles takes to the throne next year.
According to royal sources, the ceremony will be ‘shorter, sooner, smaller, less expensive and more representative of different community groups and faiths’.
The vows are expected to be kept the same as when Elizabeth II took them, but some aspects will be changed to ‘reflect modern day Britain’.
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It is thought fewer people will be invited, with the number of guests limited to 2,000. Fewer members of the Royal Family will be in attendance.
‘It will be a slimmed-down monarchy on display throughout,’ the source added.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised to see just Charles and Camilla, Kate and William and their children on the Buckingham Palace balcony afterwards.’
The shorter, cheaper ceremony will set the tone for the reign of King Charles III, who favours a more modern, scaled-back monarchy which reflects the nation more appropriately.
With a recession on the horizon and public budgets looking tighter, a smaller ceremony would be most respectful of the current cost-of-living crisis.
But every detail will still be carefully considered and planned.
The plans for Charles’s coronation have been kept under wraps – so much so, in fact, that the name ‘Operation Golden Orb’ was only revealed accidentally due to a blunder back in 2016.
The coronation holds huge religious significance as the new monarch takes their oaths in front of God and their country.
Royal historian and TV presenter Dr Anna Whitelock previously told The Daily Mail it was apt the codeword was named after part of the Crown Jewels used in the coronation.
She said: ‘The orb is a hollow ball of gold and a Christian symbol of authority signifying Christ’s dominion over the world represented in the next Monarch’s power.
‘The name of the committee reminds us that at the heart of the ceremony, the King is made to swear vows of awesome severity, not to his country, or even his subjects, but to God.’
Despite this, Charles’s coronation is expected to reflect the cultural and religious diversity of the UK – but has not yet been made known how this will look.
As well as King Charles being crowned, his wife Camilla will also be crowned as his Queen in a hugely significant moment.
There had been much controversy over whether Charles’s second wife would use the title.
The wife of a king automatically becomes a queen consort and only a change in legislation could have prevented her from doing so.
Camilla will be crowned next to Charles in the same way the last Queen Consort, the Queen Mother, was.
The Queen Mother, also called Elizabeth, sat alongside George VI in 1937. Camilla is expected to wear her coronation crown.
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Queen Elizabeth announced in February her ‘sincere wish’ that Camilla would take the Queen Consort title when the time came, ensuring all her affairs were in order so there was no debate.
Her Duchess of Cornwall title now belongs to daughter in law Kate, after William became the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge.
They are also now the Prince and Princess of Wales, King Charles announced last night, taking over his former title.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 was very grand and Charles’ mum was pictured in full regalia, reflecting society at the time.
More than 70 years later, it is not yet known whether her son will follow suit.
A carriage procession transported more than 8,000 important guests to Westminster Abbey for Elizabeth’s coronation, where many had to sit on makeshift benches.
More than 40,000 troops were involved in the parade to welcome the new Queen to the throne.
Prince Philip was the Queen’s male consort, therefore he was not entitled to be crowned, but he instead knelt before her and pledged to be her ‘liege man of life and limb’.
It was the first ceremony to be televised and lasted for more than three hours. It was considered an important moment to lift the mood in Britain as it recovered from the effects of World War Two.
A source previously said: ‘Compared to the last coronation, there will be a lot less fuss. Last time, special green chairs were commissioned and guests were able to have them delivered to their homes afterwards. You won’t see that sort of thing this time.’
The ceremony is also likely to be shorter in consideration of the ages of the new King, currently 73, and Queen, currently 75.
The date of King Charles III’s coronation is not yet known, but it is expected to be no earlier than next spring.
It is most likely to be during summer 2023, and will be much sooner than Queen Elizabeth’s 16-month wait.
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The country is expected to get a bank holiday for the coronation of King Charles.
The Royal Family website says: ‘The coronation of the new Sovereign follows some months after his or her accession, following a period of mourning and as a result of the enormous amount of preparation required to organise the ceremony.
‘Present are representatives of the Houses of Parliament, Church and State. Prime ministers and leading citizens from the Commonwealth and representatives of other countries also attend.’
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