Coronation balcony moment 'will be a final thank you' to four key royals
The balcony moment at King Charles' coronation will be a final thank you to four royals as they step away from public life, sources have revealed.
Detailed plans seen by The Mirror show how the monarch has chosen to thank the nation alongside his most loyal family members, while also conveying his vision of a slimmed-down monarchy.
The final group of 15 shows there is no place for Prince Harry and Meghan, should they even decide to attend the coronation, for which the RSVP deadline has passed.
Instead, the King has insisted on some of his mother’s most trusted servants and family members to be included, despite their days as working royals being numbered.
The Duke of Kent, 87, first cousin of both the late Queen and Prince Philip, will attend alongside his sister Princess Alexandra, 86.
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Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and his sister Princess Alexandra in February 2015 (Getty Images)A source said their attendance on the balcony would be confirmed on the day owing to “individual health problems”.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have also been asked by the King to join him and Camilla.
Our source added: “The balcony moment will be the King’s final presentation of a slimmed down monarchy, which of course will be even further slimmed down once the Gloucesters, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra finally step away from public life and into their well earned retirements.
"It is a final thank you for them and a nod to their support of his mother during her 70 year reign."
Following the ceremony, Charles and Camilla will travel from Westminster Abbey in the Gold State coach back to Buckingham Palace, joined in procession with the chosen group.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester alongside the Countess of Wessex during the Remembrance Sunday service in November last year (PA)Future king and queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, will appear with their three children - Prince George, nine; Princess Charlotte, seven and Prince Louis, four.
The revelations come after invitations for the coronation were sent to more than 2,000 guests, using the title Queen Camilla for the first time in an official capacity.
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Future king Prince George will play an important role in the coronation of his grandfather alongside seven schoolboys, with all named as Pages of Honour who will "attend their majesties during the coronation service".
Crowds below the balcony as King Charles and Camilla visit Hamburg City Hall last month (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)The group are either family friends or close relatives of Charles and Camilla, including three of the Queen's grandchildren, and will be expected to carry the robes of prominent figures during the day.
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With the coronation almost a month away, a new double portrait of the King and Queen has been released showing them smiling in Buckingham Palace's blue drawing room.
A royal source said: "It made sense to refer to Her Majesty as the Queen Consort in the early months of His Majesty's reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
"'Queen Camilla' is the appropriate title to set against 'King Charles' on the invitation. The coronation is an appropriate time to start using 'Queen Camilla' in an official capacity. All former Queen Consorts have been known as 'Queen' plus their first name."
The invitation was printed on recycled card and elaborately decorated with foliage in a design by heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson, a Brother of the Art Workers' Guild which the King is an Honorary Member.
It reads: "The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla - By Command of the King the Earl Marshall is directed to invite...to be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster on 6th day of May 2023."
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