Prince George to play role in grandpa Charles’ coronation
London: Prince George is to become the youngest future king to play an official role at a coronation, having been named one of his grandfather’s four Pages of Honour.
The nine-year-old will be tasked with carrying the King Charles’ robes alongside three other pages, schoolboys Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, Nicholas Barclay, 13, and Ralph Tollemache, 12. All three are sons of Charles’ friends.
Prince George, second from right, watches the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations with his siblings Louis and Charlotte and parents Catherine and William from the balcony of Buckingham Place last year.Credit:PA/AP
Camilla, Queen Consort, has chosen to include her three grandsons, twins Gus and Louis Lopes, 13, and Freddy Parker Bowles, 12, as well as her great-nephew, Arthur Elliot, 11, as her Pages of Honour.
All eight are expected to wear matching scarlet uniforms and will form part of the procession through the nave of Westminster Abbey.
Pages of Honour traditionally wear a knee-length scarlet coat with gold trimmings over a white satin waistcoat and lace jabot – a decorative ruffle or frill falling from the collar – white breeches, white stockings and black shoes with buckles. They also carry a small ceremonial sword.
The May 6 ceremony will mark the biggest moment on the world stage for George, second in line to the throne, after his father Prince William, and the youngest of the eight pages.
William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, greet royal fans with their son Prince George on Christmas day.Credit:AP
William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are understood to have thought long and hard about whether to allow him to take on an official role owing to his young age.
It is thought that they made their decision after discussing it with him in detail to ensure he was comfortable carrying out such a public duty.
His siblings – Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four – are expected to attend the coronation but sit among the congregation. George will then likely join them for the service.
A page of honour is a ceremonial position within the royal household that requires attendance on state occasions, but does not involve any daily duties.
King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, visit Brick Lane in east London to meet with charities and businesses in February.Credit:AP
Queen Elizabeth II opted instead for six Maids of Honour to help carry her train during her 1953 coronation, all of whom were unmarried daughters of dukes, marquesses, and earls.
The decision to give the family such high-profile roles is said to represent a new era of equality behind palace walls, reflecting the King’s devotion to his wife and the realities of the modern blended family.
Camilla, 75, has five grandchildren who call her by the nickname “GaGa”.
Her son, Tom Parker Bowles, has Lola, 15, and Freddy; and her daughter, Laura Lopes, has Eliza, 15, and twins, Louis and Gus. Arthur is the grandson of her sister, Annabel Elliot, to whom she is extremely close.
It is thought that her granddaughters, Lola and Eliza, may also play a role in the ceremony, although further details have not yet been announced.
Palace sources noted that pages are traditionally boys and so only grandsons of a suitable age could be chosen.
Lord Cholmondeley is the second son of the Marquess of Cholmondeley, the King’s lord-in-waiting, and his wife the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, is former model Rose Hanbury.
The couple, have twin sons, Alexander and Oliver, and a seven-year-old daughter named Iris.
They live at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, which is just about six kilometres from Anmer Hall, the Wales’ country retreat. The couples are understood to be good friends.
Plans show that George, Charlotte and Louis will join their grandfather and the Queen Consort as they leave the Abbey following the ceremony.
They will most likely appear together on the balcony of Buckingham Palace afterwards.
The Telegraph, London
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