The palace has finally confirmed the date of King Charles’ coronation, and as it turns out, the day has some serious significance to the British Royal Family. Here is what you may not know about the palace’s decision to crown King Charles on the 6th of May.
Not Just Any Saturday In May
Let’s just get it out of the way now: Yes, Charles’ coronation lands on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son’s birthday. On May 6, Archie Harrison will celebrate his fourth birthday while King Charles III is officially crowned. Of course, this correlation hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans of the duke and duchess. Many have speculated that King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla are somehow slighting Harry and Markle by overshadowing the young royal’s birthday.
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However, there’s no real evidence to suggest there’s any malintent behind the chosen date. For a multitude of other reasons, the decision makes sense. May 6th is a Saturday, meaning there’s no need to make a royal holiday out of it. It’s in mid-spring, one of the most favorable times for royal celebrations in the UK given the pleasant weather. It’s only a couple of weeks after the late queen’s birthday, giving the country ample time to remember Her Majesty while not impressing on the queen’s own past coronation date in June. Not to mention, there’s a certain historical significance that makes the date even more fitting.
King George V Took The Throne On May 6, 1910
Interestingly, King Charles’ will be crowned on the same day that King George V ascended to the throne in 1910. King George was a staunch traditionalist, and he provided steady leadership during a time of great turmoil in England. He saw the country through the first World War, a fact that had major repercussions for the royal family.
As plenty of royalists know, the royal family is also known as the House of Windsor. What you may not know is that the family was previously known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a name Queen Victoria took upon marrying Prince Albert. However, after World War I, there was a growing disdain in the United Kingdom towards Germany. This led King George V to issue an official declaration changing their name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor, masking the family’s German ancestry.
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While she didn’t take the name herself, when Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip, her descendants took on the name Mountbatten. To this day, King Charles and his descendants are Mountbatten-Windsors. So, it’s an interesting coincidence that Charles will be crowned on the same day that the originator of the Windsor name ascended to the throne. Whether or not you think May 6 was a good date or not for King Charles’ coronation, it’s clear that it’s a significant day to the royal family for more than one reason.
