CHARLES’ SECRET CORONATION!
Bbehindhid ththe scenes, ththe Qqueen and her eldest son have been preparing for this special day
The tawdry scandal surrounding Prince Andrew and the abrupt departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have dominated royal headlines for most of 2020. And while both controversies have created a headache for the Queen, the silver lining is she’s been able to quietly and uninterruptedly plan for the historic accession of her eldest son, Prince Charles, to the throne.
Sources say despite the fact Her Majesty had publicly declared she will rule until the day she dies, the 94-year-old has been forced to accept she cannot fulfil her role safely while the world is in the grips of a virus that is especially deadly to the elderly.
Woman’s Day has learned that while the Queen was ensconced in Windsor Castle two months ago she quietly informed her 71-year-old son – the longest king-inwaiting in history – to start preparing to wear the crown.
“The Queen accepts that she cannot control global events and that it is time for Charles to take over,” says a source. “It was a difficult, emotional decision to hand over her reign, but the monarchy is more important to her than anything, and she knows the time has come. Charles has been a very serious understudy for seven decades, and she knows he will make a dedicated king to the Commonwealth.”
ABDICATION & CORONATION
While the focus of the global media’s eyes have been on Charles’ wayward brother and errant son, the monarch and her firstborn have been quietly planning for a fuss-free abdication followed by a private coronation.
“They've been holed up in Balmoral in recent weeks making plans. It's an emotional but exciting time for both of them,” claims an insider. “Charles obviously wishes he could have got a coronation with all the bells, whistles and adoration, but he accepts that's quite impossible. Instead, a lot of it will be done behind the scenes, and you'll start seeing signs of it very soon.”
Indeed, it was reported last week that Charles hasn't renewed the 20-year lease of his organic estate in the Cotswolds – where he farms his Duchy Originals produce –
“because it will likely coincide with when he becomes king”.
This also paves the way for a huge shift for his son, Prince William, 38, and daughterin-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, also 38.
“As soon as Charles steps up, William will have his own investiture as Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall,” says a source. “In a way, the Queen must be pleased she might be around to be a part of such an historic occasion. The big question is whether Catherine will choose to become Princess of Wales. Charles' wife Camilla technically holds the role now but never uses it out of deference to the late Princess Diana. Kate may well choose to do the same – or take the title in honour of the mother-in-law she never met.”
News of Charles' plan to step up and ascend the throne, with his eldest son in tow, certainly explains the strengthened bond between the pair, ironically as Charles' fractured relationship with his younger son Prince Harry, 35, and his wife, 38-year-old Duchess Meghan, has fallen into disrepair.
“It's no secret there have been difficulties in their relationship in the past, but they do seem to be closer than ever and seem very comfortable in each other's company,” royal commentator Katie Nicholl said of William and his father earlier this year. “I think William's been quite vocal about his father's work, his pride in his father... I think what you're seeing is that respect and admiration William has for his father reflected in a warmer rapport between them."
‘It was a difficult, emotional decision to hand over her reign’