The Prince and Princess of Wales Were Late to the Coronation, and Their Kids Were to Blame, Omid Scobie Reports

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation

(Image credit: Getty)

published 9 May 2023

We are very used to hearing Omid Scobie report on—and even write books about—Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But, per The Daily Mail, Scobie is reporting on a glitch at the Coronation that viewers might have noticed—the King and Queen waiting for what seemed like a long time in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach upon their arrival at Westminster Abbey. That was because the Wales family were late, and the King and Queen, as the last to enter the Abbey, had to wait for their arrival.

Per The Daily Mail, Scobie says that the kids “were to blame” for the family’s tardiness, and that the family had joined the official procession “late”—which is why they were behind the King and Queen. “The room for error was nil,” Scobie writes. “And thankfully, due to the weeks of rehearsals that the royals took part in ahead of the Coronation, the day went ahead smoothly.”

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis arriving at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation

Both the Prince of Wales and Prince George had roles in the ceremony; the Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis sat on the front row for the event. In a detailed Order of Service released by Buckingham Palace ahead of the Coronation, the Wales family was supposed to arrive before the King and Queen, arriving at the Great West Door and then proceeding to their seats in the Lantern. Afterwards, the King and Queen were due to arrive at the West Gate—but, a royal source tells Scobie, the children held up the proceedings. (No exact reason was specified.)

While still waiting on the Wales family to arrive, a lip reader caught the King complaining “We can never be on time. Yes, I’m…this is a negative. There’s always something” as he and the Queen remained parked in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach. Another lip reader, Jacqui Press, told The Daily Mail that the King said, as he waited, “I’m worried about time. I mean, it’s been longer this time and, well, erm, I mean look! I know.”

After the Coronation, a member of the clergy admitted there were a couple of hiccups on the day: “There were one or two things that didn’t go strictly to plan,” said the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr. Guli Francis-Dehqani, speaking outside St. Margaret’s Church next to the Abbey. Pushed for details, the bishop demurred, saying “I’m not going to embarrass anyone in particular.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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