According to a YouGov survey published just weeks before the big day, more than 50% agreed that the royals should fund the coronation themselves. That number was hardly helped by an investigation by The Guardian newspaper, which placed King Charles’s fortune at a staggering £1.8 billion (around $2.2 billion).
The total sum for the coronation was said to be double that of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. One main increase was the costs attributed to heightened security.
As a result, security at the coronation was extremely tight. The streets along the route from Buckingham Palace were packed with people, and over the weekend, many other events were held to celebrate Charles’s ascension to the throne.
The Metropolitan Police and British military carefully planned the coronation weekend to ensure the safety of all involved. A reported record is that 11,500 police worked on the event as part of British history’s most extensive security operation.
Kate Middleton didn’t want Meghan Markle in attendance
While King Charles and Queen Camilla took place in the limelight, the ongoing feud with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle put a dark shadow on the coronation. Meghan decided not to attend the significant celebration at Westminster Abbey, while Prince Harry kept his distance from his brother and sister-in-law, Kate MIddleton.
Royal family members were said to have been relieved that Harry decided to fly back to the US straight after the coronation ceremony. Meanwhile, if Meghan Markle had attended, royal expert and former BBC journalist Tom Bower said that Kate Middleton would’ve ensured they were sitting far away from any royal family member.
“We must all be grateful that Kate, in the end, I think, prevented Meghan from coming and said she ‘wouldn’t have her there under any circumstances,’” Tom Bower said on GB News some weeks before the coronation last year.
Moreover, Bower alleged that the Princess of Wales warned Meghan: “If she [Meghan] did come, she’d have to sit at the back.”
Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton were just two family members who received hefty criticism from Harry and Meghan. Harry called Camilla “wicked stepmother” as he recalled his feelings about her becoming a larger part of the family when his mother died.
Moreover, in Spare, he gave details on private text messages between his wife, Meghan, and Kate Middleton, among other things.
Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton both had a history of being criticized in British tabloids, which possibly brought them closer together. Surely, the two have discussed what the estranged Duke wrote about them at some point.
Camilla praised for efforts while King Charles & Kate MIddleton undergo cancer treatment
As Kate is receiving treatment for her cancer and King Charles is just now returning to royal duty, Camilla has taken on a great responsibility for the royal family to uphold their standards of serving the nation.
While Queen Camilla is known not to love life in the spotlight, she has put all her energy towards serving The Crown. For example, she doesn’t like giving speeches, but as King Charles isn’t there at the moment, she does it.
Moreover, royal expert Angela Levin said earlier this year that Camilla has left her comfort zone” and done all her engagements – which King Charles typically was scheduled to do – with “grace.”
Last week, Camilla was the sole representative of the royal family, attending the Easter service at Worchester Cathedral while Charles continued his cancer treatment.