Prince Charles' extremely rare royal privilege the Queen's other kids missed out on

Prince Charles once received an extremely rare royal privilege during his childhood that the Queen's other children sadly missed out on.
- The Prince of Wales got to witness his mother’s coronation when he was just four years old after receiving his own children’s invitation.
- This was a royal first and sadly his siblings never got to enjoy this huge moment.
- This royal news (opens in new tab) comes as the Queen delighted royal fans with her ‘frugal’ habits as they spotted the ‘ugliest’ item in her living room (opens in new tab).
With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday (opens in new tab) weekend now just days away the excitement is building over the celebrations where Her Majesty and other members of The Firm (opens in new tab) will mark this milestone. Already this year the Queen sparked nostalgia (opens in new tab) several times over as the Royal Family are currently sharing 70 throwback photos over the 70 days in the lead-up to the weekend. As many people reminisce about some of the biggest royal moments over the past seven decades, it’s hard not to think about the Queen’s coronation (opens in new tab).
Taking place on June 2nd 1953 at Westminster Abbey, the Queen’s coronation is understood to have been watched by 27 million on TV in the UK. And Prince Charles got to enjoy a rare royal privilege that day that his siblings didn’t…
At the time of Her Majesty’s coronation, Charles, who is first in the line of succession (opens in new tab), was just 4 years old. But that didn’t stop the future Prince of Wales from taking a historic part in the celebrations in what was a major moment for the Royal Family.
According to their official website (opens in new tab), Charles became the first child to witness their mother’s coronation as Sovereign that day. The young Prince even received his own hand-painted invitation and was seated between the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret for the ceremony.
This special royal privilege was granted only to Charles, whilst 2-year-old Princess Anne was considered too young, but appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace afterwards.
At the time of the Queen’s coronation she hadn’t yet welcomed her youngest children, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, meaning they also missed out on seeing their mother’s big moment.
Though Charles’ presence wasn’t necessarily quite so calming as the royals might’ve hoped on the day as he reportedly almost caused a terrible mishap.
Getting candid about this on Annoushka Ducas’ podcast My Life in Seven Charms, Princess Margaret’s former right hand woman Lady Anne Glenconner revealed the curious 4-year-old got hold of the Imperial State Crown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AA58-djqPM
“Prince Charles got his paws on it, however old he was, when we got back to Buckingham Palace,” she claimed. “Because [the Queen] took it off, put it on a table, and Prince Charles made a beeline for it.”
Lady Glenconner added, “We thought he was going to drop it. We thought, ‘Oh my goodness, that would be a bad omen’. But luckily, I think my mother, as a lady-in-waiting, seized it from him and took it away.”
Thankfully there was no harm done and this historic day remains one of the biggest moments in the Queen's 70 year reign and a moment Prince Charles likely remembers very fondly to this day.
Emma is a Senior Lifestyle Writer with six years of experience working in digital publishing, ranging from book publishing to magazines. She currently looks after all things Lifestyle for Woman&Home, Goodto.com, and My Imperfect Life.
-
-
Prince Charles was ‘very emotional’ during his ‘wonderful’ first meeting with Lilibet
A source has revealed that Prince Charles had a ‘very emotional’ first meeting with his granddaughter Lilibet over the Jubilee weekend
By Naomi Jamieson • Published
-
Panic attack symptoms, triggers and how to calm down
Panic attack symptoms can affect us physically, mentally and emotionally - here's how to ease them, according to medical experts and therapists
By Debra Waters • Published
-
Prince Charles was ‘very emotional’ during his ‘wonderful’ first meeting with Lilibet
A source has revealed that Prince Charles had a ‘very emotional’ first meeting with his granddaughter Lilibet over the Jubilee weekend
By Naomi Jamieson • Published
-
The 'sad' missing detail in Prince Charles' birthday tribute to Prince William
Prince Charles' 40th birthday tribute to Prince William has left some fans unhappy over this missing photograph
By Selina Maycock • Published
-
Prince Charles pays rare heartfelt tribute to sons Prince Harry and Prince William
Prince Charles has shared an adorable throwback snap of him with his sons Prince Harry and Prince William to mark Father's Day.
By Selina Maycock • Published
-
Prince Charles' last minute phone call urged the Queen to attend Platinum Jubilee finale
Prince Charles' last minute phone call to the Queen is what persuaded her to appear on the balcony
By Kudzai Chibaduki • Published
-
Prince Charles awards Sir David Attenborough with incredible new honour
Prince Charles has awarded Sir David Attenborough with a second Knighthood for all his incredible conservation work
By Naomi Jamieson • Published
-
What is the royal line of succession, how does it work and who is next in line for the throne?
While it's common knowledge that Prince Charles is heir to the throne, what would happens if the Queen outlived him? Where do Princess Anne and Princess Charlotte fit into the line of succession? And, is Harry still in line despite stepping down from royal duties?
By Grace Walsh • Published
-
Why Prince Charles will 'need' Harry and Meghan when he becomes King
By Naomi Jamieson • Published
-
Prince Charles' 'complaint' to Camilla as he stepped in for the Queen revealed by lip reader
By Kudzai Chibaduki • Published