Will Charles be the first multicultural monarch?

28 October 2006

Her Majesty, taking her example from her late mother, is not merely aware that such matters are now being considered by her most senior courtiers, but is making her own wishes painstakingly clear. It is not that she is a morbid woman, any more than Queen Elizabeth was before her, but that she knows it is vital for the wellbeing — if not the future — of the monarchy that this occasion be handled correctly and, what’s more, handled in a way that reflects the mood of the times.

And it is, of course, not merely a funeral that is exercising the minds of HMQ and her senior courtiers, but also a coronation, which is why the Prince of Wales and his advisers across the Mall at Clarence House are taking a close interest in the discussions. ‘Her Majesty has carried out her duties to the letter throughout her life and she knows that they extend to the very end of the final act,’ a courtier taking part in the discussions tells me. ‘She recognises, however, that she should not exert her influence one second beyond the conclusion of her funeral. The coronation is a matter solely for the PoW.’

While he has always revered his mother, Prince Charles is understandably keen that his coronation should bear his imprimatur and that it should be seen to mark the beginning of a new era and a new kind of reign. Paddy Harverson, the Prince’s formidable spokesman, declines to be drawn at all on the issue of the coronation for reasons of seemliness. The coronation is in any case, constitutionally, the responsibility of the Duke of Norfolk in his capacity as Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal and Chief Butler of England. While he may be the most senior Duke of the realm, Edward Fitzalan-Howard would not obviously do anything that would be contrary to the wishes of the heir apparent.