When King Charles Modified Centuries-Old Royal Tradition for Prince George at Coronation

King Charles III, a doting grandfather to his eldest grandson, Prince George, requested a particular modification to a centuries-old custom during his coronation. During the service, Prince George and three other boys were assigned as Pages of Honor, and their job was to tend to their majesties, the King and Queen, mostly by carrying their heavy, long robes. However, the prince was worried that wearing white knee breeches, as required by royal customs, would make him a laughingstock in school. As per The Express, Charles changed the dress code to trousers for the royal ceremony.

Royal courtier Ephraim Hardcastle stated, "He also wasn't keen on wearing tights and becoming a subject of ribaldry at school." According to The Daily Record, a source revealed before the coronation, "The King is very keen to show those in the line of succession, his natural heirs, at the center of his coronation. Even though he is only nine, George is very mature and already has a deep understanding of the roles of his grandfather and father, as well as his future role. This assignment is a marvelous indication of the future being mapped out by the King." 

According to Hello! Magazine, George is being mentored by his grandfather to assume royal duties for when he becomes the Prince of Wales. Royal author, Robert Jobson, told the outlet, "It's very much a grandfather relationship with George at the moment, but as he gets older, the King will take on that mentoring role, much as the late Queen did with William." The King allegedly has made his mark on his grandson. In Balmoral, he planted trees in his honor, and the place is now known as Prince George's Wood. In addition, he renovated the treehouse he had constructed for his sons in the Gloucestershire estate's gardens, Highgrove, so George could play.

According to The UK Mirror, Prince William and Kate Middleton had concerns over Prince George's 'Page of Honor' role during the coronation. The royal parents had argued with King Charles over the duty, as per royal commentator, Tom Quinn. "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," Quinn told The Express at the time. "I've heard that Kate and William are worried that it will be too much for him."

He explained, "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 criticized 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?'"