Prince William has been urged to ditch a “ridiculous” royal tradition that has been likened to something out of a Disney film. The Prince of Wales, who turned 43 at the weekend, is said to be considering what his coronation would look like.
His father, King Charles, already reduced his own coronation by half an hour compared to Queen Elizabeth II’s three-hour ceremony. According to the Sunday Times Royal Editor Roya Nikkah, William has already indicated his own coronation would “look and feel quite different”.
The Prince of Wales is said to want a coronation that would be “relevant” to the modern world as well as “unifying” for the Commonwealth. It comes as a source told Nikkah that William’s coronation could be more stripped-back than his father’s was.
They told The Times: “Look at the coronations of medieval kings, they were staggeringly simple. Keep things that are pertinent to today, that reflect diversity, and get back to the core of it.”
The insider also encouraged William to ditch the Imperial State Crown. The crown was made in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI – William’s great-grandfather.
It is estimated to be worth around £5 billion and is adorned with 3,170 precious stones. Charles, like his mother, wore the Imperial State Crown to lead out the procession after being crowned at his coronation.
He swapped to the headwear after being crowned using the traditional St Edward’s Crown – used by every monarch since the 13th century. Weighing in at nearly 5lb (2.23kg) the crown is considered a holy relic and only used for the crowning moment.
The insider said: “That ridiculous thing that looks like it’s out of Disney? No. What I remember most about that day were William and Catherine’s robes, Catherine’s beautiful, simple headpiece, and William wearing nothing on his head.”
William is understood not to have made a decision about which crown to opt for in his coronation. But the Times says he is sentimental about the Imperial State Crown due to the links to his father and grandmother.
The Prince of Wales is no stranger to shunning tradition at times though. In 2024 William opted not to wear the traditional Court Dress at the Order of the Garter.
While the King opted for the traditional “knee socks and embroidered garter”, William chose a more modern white tie look with regular trousers. At the time, Daily Mail Diary Editor Richard Eden said: “William was at the event but he opted for white tie and just regular trousers – so a bit of a disappointment really. It would be great to see him in those silk stockings and breeches.”
While William has been spotted in knee-britches before, Eden says he looks “uncomfortable” in the traditional clothing. He however believes Princess Kate is particularly fond of the “dressing up” occasions.
He added: “You can always see her sort of teasing and giggling at him – particularly when it’s the Order of the Garter ceremony where he has to wear all the velvet robes and the feathers, that’s always fun.”
