Uniform for King instead of silk stockings at coronation

THE King will depart from centuries of tradition and wear military uniform rather than traditional silk stockings and breeches at his coronation, it has been reported.

The monarch will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

The King wants his coronation to represent the “modern 21st century monarchy”, The Sun reported.

While he would have been happy to wear the stockings and breeches, the decision came from discussions with senior aides, the paper reported.

The King is Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, and has a long history of wearing military uniform at official events, having served in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. He wore the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet at the state opening of parliament last year.

The King had initially been expected to have a “scaled back” ceremony, but this was re-evaluated in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’S death.

One of the “key learnings” from Operation London Bridge and Spring Tide, the period of mourning between the Queen’s death and her funeral and the new monarch’s tour of the UK, was that it proved a great advertisement for Britain.

The coronation is expected to be shorter than the ceremony held for the late Queen, with fewer attendees, better reflecting the modern monarchy. Reports of a shorter, simpler service prompted fears of a “cut-price” ceremony that would send the wrong message to the world.