King Charles was caught looking rather miffed when his son and daughter-in-law the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived a few minutes late for his and Queen Camilla's coronation on 6 May 2023.
The history-making event, which was watched by millions of people around the world, was meticulously planned and executed. However, the small error, caught on camera, didn't go unnoticed.
© GettyIn a new book, Charles III: The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman has written about what really happened that day. The King and Queen's procession to Westminster Abbey was supposed to take 33 minutes but actually only took them 26 minutes.
"Unbeknown to them, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their two younger children are running a minute and a half late," wrote the royal author. "The Waleses are supposed to be there eight minutes ahead of the King and Queen. Yet they will now arrive after them."
With King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving six minutes ahead of schedule in the Gold State Coach, the royal couple had to wait, and Charles was caught on camera looking agitated at the situation.
A lip reader took a guess at what the King was saying to his spouse, and fragments caught included: "We can never be on time… There’s always something…. This is boring." See the full video below.
"Although the congregation inside the abbey don't know it, there is an awkward scene unfolding outside as the King and Queen remain in their coach," wrote Robert. "It is an added layer of stress that the couple really do not want or need on a day like this."
Commenting on Charles being under extreme pressure in the full gaze of the world, he added: "Conflicting sources will suggest that the Waleses' decision to make a Coronation Day video has added precious seconds to their schedule and made them late.
"Kensington Palace staff working for the Waleses say that because the King was early, the car carrying William and Catherine was caught behind his procession when it should have been ahead.
© Getty"The Prince of Wales's equerry, Commander Rob Dixon, will take a fair amount of flak, nonetheless. It is unusual for the two most important arrivals at such a significant event, and over such a well-trodden route, to be so unpunctual."
He continued: "The result is some frantic rewriting of the running order. There isn't time for the Waleses and their two younger children to enter ahead of the King and Queen. They must now follow behind and bring up the rear."
However, it may have just been down to nerves. Robert explained: "One factor, unspoken, may have been nervousness about street protests. More than 11,500 police have been drafted in from all over the country, making this the largest police operation ever mounted in London."
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