The Queen’s coronation was a three-hour spectacle and is estimated to have cost more than £43 million. Prince Charles is believed to have a much smaller coronation
Sign up for our Daily Newsletter for the latest local news straight to your inbox
We have more newsletters
Prince Charles probably won't have a big coronation when he becomes king, a royal author has said.
When his mother Queen Elizabeth II acceded the throne on June 2, 1953, about 277 million people around the world watched the ceremony.
The Queen 's coronation was the first ever to be televised and the three-hour spectacle, which saw the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh driven from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach, took one year to plan.
Read more: Why Camilla will not be queen when Prince Charles becomes king
Church leaders, prime ministers from across the Commonwealth, members of the royal household and military leaders made up the 250-strong procession as the Queen made her way to the Abbey wearing the George IV State Diadem – a crown featuring 1,333 diamonds and 169 pearls.
The event was estimated to have cost £1.57 million at the time – more than £43 million today.
But it is believed that things will be different when Prince Charles becomes king.
Ian Lloyd, author of The Duke: 100 Chapters in the Life of Prince Philip, said such a large ceremony now is unlikely.
He told the Express : "I don't think people would stomach such a vast ceremony."
He added: "I don't think people would like that sort of expense. [Charles's coronation] will probably be more like it happens in Europe, they do a swear-in ceremony."
His comments come as reports claim Prince Charles will try to slim down the cost of the monarchy to taxpayers.
The royal family received a £69.4 million public-funded Sovereign Grant in 2020.
But this figure does not include additional costs such as security, which is funded by police.
Where does Prince Charles live? Inside Charles and Camilla's homes Clarence House and Highgrove House
Campaign group Republic – which has long called for the monarchy to be abolished – estimates the true cost of the royal family to be £345 million per year to taxpayers, the Mirror reports.
Full details are yet to be revealed but it is expected that the slimmed-down monarchy will see full titles given to heirs to their throne and their immediate families.
This will give them access to the Sovereign Grant and police protection.
More news from the Royal family:
Will Prince Charles become King Charles when he succeeds the Queen?
The Royal family changes to be expected when Prince Charles becomes king