The real reason King had to hold his horses

THE timing was planned down to the last minute with the kind of military precision expected of any major royal occasion.

So when the King appeared to arrive too early for his own Coronation, it naturally raised questions among those with an eye for detail – including the 74-year-old monarch himself.

The soon-to-be crowned sovereign appeared visibly vexed by events not running like clockwork on his big day, despite every step being rehearsed to avert any potential mishaps.

Dressed in his regalia, he was filmed demanding an explanation from the Crown Equerry as to why he was kept waiting in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach before the two-hour ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were supposed to arrive first with their children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight and Prince Louis, five. But instead, they arrived after the King and Queen, unexpectedly joining the back of the profession to the altar of the historic church, which has hosted every coronation since 1066.

Now, The Daily Telegraph has unravelled the mystery of why the timings went awry.

According to a military source who took part in the procession, it was the horses’ fault that the King arrived about six minutes earlier than planned.

Six Windsor greys were chosen to pull the carriage from Buckingham Palace: Icon, Shadow, Milford Haven, Echo, Knightsbridge and Tyrone.

A source who took part in the procession said: “When they did the dress rehearsal it was the middle of the night so the horses were quite sleepy and took their time. But on the day of the Coronation, they were wide awake and consequently went a lot faster than they had in the practice. That’s what threw the timings out.”

It has also been suggested that the Prince and Princess of Wales’s arrival was slightly delayed because they were filming a behind-the-scenes video of their departure from Kensington Palace for their social media channels.

The slick footage, shot by their new filmmaker Will Warr, showed an endearingly awestruck Charlotte and Louis gazing excitedly at the State Bentley as they prepared to leave for Westminster Abbey.

A source close to the couple denied reports they were late, insisting the video was filmed “in a single take”. However, the official timings sent out by the Palace show they turned up two minutes later than scheduled.