Britons have been able to apply for ceremonial roles at the coronation since 1377. This is how King Charles wants to handle it. The government agency then receives hundreds of applications. However, there is a requirement for participation, which has been criticized.
Hundreds of Britons want to attend the coronation of British King Charles III. take on a role in the rare play in May. Hundreds of applications were received in response to an official call, the broadcaster Sky News reported, citing the British Cabinet Office, which coordinates the applications as the central government authority. Interested parties can apply until February 3rd. However, the prerequisite is that the applicant can prove a connection with a previous holder of these tasks at the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, for example as a descendant or successor in office.
The services for which helpers are sought include the smallest tasks – such as handing the king a towel or a glove during the ceremony. According to the Cabinet Office, King Charles specifically wanted the coronation “rooted in tradition but reflective of the present”. The custom of accepting applications for ceremonial roles at the coronation reportedly dates back to 1377.
Monarchy observer and author Catherine Pepinster thinks it was a mistake that the royal house, despite its claim to modernity, chose to inherit the roles. It could also have opened up a more hurdle-free application process or given the contract to people who have provided special services to society, Pepinster told Sky News. “I don’t understand why they don’t use these little ceremonial moments as an opportunity to be more modern.”
Charles III has been the British King since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II last September. However, the formal coronation ceremony is not scheduled for May 6 at London’s Westminster Abbey. It is the first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years.
