PRINCE GEORGE TO 'BREAK WITH TRADITION' AT KING CHARLES'S CORONATION IF GIVEN ACTIVE ROLE
Prince George, the second-in-line to the throne, would "break with tradition" if he was to play an active role during the Coronation of King Charles, according to Dr George Gross, visiting research fellow in Theology at King's College London. The expert noted it is not at all unusual to see young children attending Coronation, and cited the current King, his mother and his grandfather as examples.
However, it would be new to see such a young royal perform any active role during the event, set to be watched by millions of people around the world.
Dr Gross told Express.co.uk: "It's not new the concept of children being present at the service, when the current monarch was Prince Charles as opposed to King Charles, he was there and so too was the late Queen, and indeed her father, they were all present at coronations as young people. So it's not unusual.
"There's no formal role for them, as typically family members and children would be in the royal box."
Discussing which role could be bestowed upon Prince George if the Prince and Princess of Wales agreed to have their son become actively involved in the event, Dr Gross said: "He may feature as some kind of page.
"But as there isn't anything formal, they would be creating something - not a new role, he would be doing something that somebody else might have done, such as carrying a robe, but I don't think it would be more than that.
"It would be a break with tradition if he had an active role."
Officials will likely avoid creating a completely new role for Prince George, Dr Gross explained, as they have to perform a difficult "balancing act" between all the elements that need to be included in the Coronation and the length of the service.
The Coronation of the King is unlikely to be as long as the one held in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth II, which lasted for three hours.
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New spins on the traditional service, Dr Gross added, are more likely to be focused on musical choices, which don't add to the length of the service.
Rumours Prince George, who is turning 10 in July, may play an active role in the Coronation started circulating in late February, following claims Kate and Prince William were "mulling over" whether their eldest child should be included in the upcoming historic ceremony.
Author Tom Quinn previously told Express.co.uk "there is a bit of an argument going on" about whether George should play a more formal role at the Coronation of his grandfather.
He added: "I've heard that Kate and William are worried that it will be too much for him."
The attendance itself of the young royal at the Coronation doesn't seem to be in doubt plans for the Coronation Procession, which traditionally follows the service at Westminster Abbey, were leaked in March.
The plans published by The Times suggested Prince George and his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are set to join their parents in a carriage procession taking them from the London abbey to Buckingham Palace.
According to these plans, they would follow the newly-crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla, leading the way in the Gold State Coach.
Dr Gross and Dr David Crankshaw, lecturer in the History of Early Modern Christianity at King's College London, are leading research on the 'British Coronations Project c.973-present' - a comprehensive analysis of what these events reveal about our past, our present and about ourselves.