There Is Apparently A “Bit of An Argument” Happening Over Prince George’s Role in the Coronation

Leaked Coronation plans show that the Prince and Princess of Wales’ three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—will all three play starring roles in the landmark event, The Mirror reports.

At the end of the May 6 ceremony—which will see King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla crowned side-by-side at Westminster Abbey—William and Kate’s kids will all take part in the procession back to Buckingham Palace, a procession that the outlet reports is but a third of the size that was at Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Coronation.

The Times reports that the trio will be, according to leaked Coronation rehearsal plans, on public display that day, and, though the Palace has said the carriage procession after the Coronation will be significantly smaller and shorter than Her late Majesty’s, the Palace insisted it would be “amazing in both scale and splendor.”

Marie Claire reported recently that George, as an heir to the throne, will be center stage at the event—but The Daily Express reports, William and Kate are “worried” over his role in the ceremony as a “bit of an argument” carries on about it behind the scenes. The outlet reports that, though all three children will be involved, George’s role in the proceedings will be more prominent, and his parents are concerned that he might be under too much pressure with the increased spotlight.

“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,” royal author Tom Quinn tells The Daily Express. “I’ve heard that Kate and William are worried that it will be too much for him.”

Though the Wales trio have already made a number of appearances at official royal events, their parents are keen to keep their childhoods as normal as humanly possible, despite circumstances. Concerns arise because “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,” Quinn says. “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?’ So I’ve heard that there is a debate going on quite fiercely at the moment about how to do that. And, as far as I’ve heard, it hasn’t been decided yet.” (For context, William was 15 at the time of his mother’s funeral, and Harry just 12. George is nine years old.)

George—who one day too will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in his own Coronation—is not the first young heir to attend the ceremony. Charles was only four at his mother’s Coronation, and he sat in attendance beside his grandmother, the Queen Mother, and his aunt, Princess Margaret.

And, The Daily Mail reports, after speculation as to whether Louis would be deemed too young to attend, it seems he will be there, having just turned five years old two weeks prior, on April 23. Louis will ride alongside his siblings and parents in a carriage behind the Gold State Coach carrying Charles and Camilla.