Prince George stepped into the spotlight when he acted as one of King Charles’s Pages of Honour at his coronation. But it very nearly didn’t happen, according to one royal expert
Royal fans were delighted to see the Princess of Wales looking happy and healthy in new video footage taken at the weekend. Kate was seen smiling and talking to Prince William as they left a local farm shop, a reassuring sign that her post-surgery recovery is going well.
And while their three children didn’t join them on this occasion, the Princess is no doubt making the most of time with her young family while in recovery.
Both William and Kate are devoted parents and, given their level of fame, are understandably protective of George, Charlotte and Louis. In fact, Prince George’s vital role at his grandfather King Charles’s Coronation last year almost didn’t happen as a result of their desire to shield him from scrutiny, according to a royal expert.
George – Prince William and Princess Kate’s eldest child, who is now second-in-line to the throne – acted as a Page of Honour for the King.
Dressed in a military style red uniform, he was tasked with helping carry his grandfather’s robes as he made his way into London’s Westminster Abbey for the official ceremony, along with fellow page boys Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Ralph Tollemache and Nicholas Barclay.
George also appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with his family as the other attendants – by far his most public role to date. But, prior to the Coronation, royal commentator Tom Quinn claimed that there was a “bit of an argument” going on behind the scenes over exactly what role Prince George would play.
He further stated that the Prince and Princess of Wales were “worried” about the pressure that could be placed on young George.
The author of the book Gilded Youth said: “I’ve heard from my contacts that there is a bit of an argument going on about whether George should play a more formal role. I’ve heard that Kate and William are worried that it will be too much for him.”
Speaking about concerns over the role, he added: “It’s almost an echo of the way William and Harry were sometimes made to attend formal occasions that they shouldn’t have been made to attend, most famously, the funeral of their mother, and walking behind her coffin at their age.
“A lot of people criticised that and said that it was a horrible thing to make two boys that young, and especially Harry, do. So I think people are remembering this and thinking, ‘Well hang on a minute, if George is some sort of a pageboy, or has a similar role at the Coronation, is that going back too far towards the traditional roles?'”
King Charles III and Queen Camilla each had four Pages of Honour supporting them on the day of the coronation. Alongside George supporting the King were Nicholas Barclay, 13, grandson of Sarah Troughton, one of the Queen’s Companions; Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, son of the Marquess of Cholmondeley, also known as filmmaker David Rocksavage, and a friend of the Prince of Wales; and Ralph Tollemache, 12.
Camilla, meanwhile, chose her grandsons, Gus and Louis Lopes, her daughter Laura Lopes’s sons, and Freddy Parker Bowles, son of Tom Parker Bowles. Completing the line-up was her grand-nephew, Arthur Elliott, whose grandmother Annabel Elliot is the Queen’s sister. Camilla also had two Ladies in Attendance – sister Annabel and her trusted friend the Marchioness of Lansdowne – who were on hand to help support her through elements of the service.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at [email protected]
