What Will Kate Middleton's Coronation Look Like? Not As Flashy As You Think

If you watched The Crown like pretty much every other person in the known universe, you've probably got some feelings about what a coronation should look like. After all, Queen Elizabeth II's coronation was the first to be televised and was a ceremony of monumental proportions. Full of pomp and circumstance and a big stick thing and a crown... it was incredible. But is that what we have to look forward to in the future? What will happen when Prince William becomes King of England? More importantly, what will Kate Middleton's coronation look like when she becomes Queen Consort?

Well don't expect the same level of coronation that we saw with her grandmother-in-law enjoyed (or suffered through, I really have no way of knowing how she felt about it) in 1953. If you're imagining the Duchess of Cambridge walking down the aisle of Westminster Abbey with a million cameras following her, dressed in a white satin gown "embroidered with the emblems of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in gold and silver thread" like the present Queen, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Because, according to the royal family official website Royal.uk, the Queen Consort tends to get a much more diluted affair when she is crowned.

I know. I'm disappointed too.

As per the royal family website, the coronation is an ancient ritual dating back to William the Conqueror in 1066.

The coronation ceremony, an occasion for pageantry and celebration, but it is also a solemn religious ceremony, has remained essentially the same over a thousand years. For the last 900 years, the ceremony has taken place at Westminster Abbey, London. The service is conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose task this has almost always been since the Norman Conquest in 1066.

While Prince William will most likely be crowned at Westminster Abbey in front of "representatives of Parliament, Church, and State," the ceremony for the potential Queen Consort tends to be a smaller affair. Unless he would prefer it otherwise, so maybe let's start campaigning now.

Unless decided otherwise, a Queen Consort is crowned with the King, in a similar but simpler ceremony.

As much as her fans might relish the idea of Middleton enjoying a lavish coronation, something tells me she won't care if it's a smaller ceremony. Actually, considering the fact that Middleton is apparently known for being a laid back kind of gal herself, she probably wouldn't want a big fuss made at all.

Besides, there will hopefully be a whole lot of years between now and the time that Kate Middleton and Prince William become Queen Consort and King William. He is second in line for the throne behind his father, Prince Charles, while Middleton is in line for position of Queen Consort after the Duchess of Cornwall (Prince Charles' wife, Camilla Parker Bowles). And let's not forget the fact that the current Queen of England, Elizabeth II, is also Prince William's grandmother. And despite the fact that she is currently the longest-reigning monarch in the history of Great Britain and actually the entire world, at 92 years old she's still shockingly active. Which happily means we might not see any coronation for the foreseeable future.

When that day does come, it will be interesting to see if Prince William goes full boar for the big coronation like his grandmother did more than 60 years ago. Or if he tries to do something just slightly different. If I were his coronation adviser and oh my God please let this be my job someday, I would tell him to do a joint coronation. It seems like the perfect compromise. And besides, he and Middleton always seem like such a well-matched team... I think people will love it.

In about 25 years or so.