What duties can we expect to see from William and Kate at the coronation of Charles?

Most of us will be watching with a faux casual or noticeably awestruck eye upon the proceedings of King Charles III's coronation on 6 May, but no one will be watching as closely as his oldest son, Prince William. After all, this coronation fate awaits William - a fact he has been prepared and trained for over his lifetime.

Coronations of royalty are few and far between and this will be Britain't first coronation since 1953 when the late Queen Elizabeth II became monarch. Elizabeth II celebrated her jubilee in 2022 as it was exactly 70 years since her father, King George VI, had died from a prolonged illness related to smoking.

This makes the coronation of Charles a very rare moment for everyone in the UK, and this includes the spectacle and duties surrounding proceedings that await the royal family. It will be the role of various members of the family to bring this whole event together and mark on a world stage the momentous moment for one of the world's longest heirs-in-waiting.

Charles III had been serving as an apprentice to his mother for seven decades. Camilla, his long-time love and wife since 2005, has also been awaiting her role beside her husband, which was confirmed to be Queen Consort by Elizabeth II not long before she died.

This long apprenticeship will not be true for William and Kate. Unless Charles makes it to the age of 140... unlikely, I think we can all agree, then William will have his hands on the crown within the next three decades, or less.

Charles does have a strong genetic heritage for living into the 90s. His grandmother, The Queen Mother, lived to be 101 - ensuring she received a telegram to mark her 100th from her daughter, the Queen.

Elizabeth II, of course, lived to be 96 and her husband, Prince Philip, died at the age of 99 - just shy of his telegram.

In fact, 28 members of the British royal family have lived beyond the age of 80 since the Acts of Union in 1707. Clearly, a life of good housing, well-balanced food and excellent healthcare suits people. Who knew?

For William and Kate, therefore, the duties which go alongside the coronation will be meticulously studied. They could be called upon to repeat this event, with themselves as the main players, within a reasonable amount of time - certainly within living memory for most of the audience for this 2023 coronation.

It's just over six weeks until the coronation. Reports have started to emerge on what William and Kate will be doing during Charles' big day.

Prince William coronation duties

He will, of course, play a major role. So major, in fact, that he might be the only one to carry out important tradition usually reserved for royal dukes.

The Sunday Times have said William will pay homage to Charles during the ceremony and this will involve kneeling and pledging allegiance to the king, as well as touching the crown and kissing the monarch's right cheek.

William will also take part in the huge procession after the service from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. This will be rounded off with the royal balcony appearance, which many of the working royals will be appearing on. This, of course, appears to exclude the younger brother of William - Harry and his wife, Meghan, as they are no longer carrying out work under the royal duties schedule in the UK.

Princess Kate/Catherine coronation duties

Based on coronation rehearsal documents seen by The Times, Kate will also take part in the carriage procession and balcony appearance alongside her husband, William.

Kate is bound to sit very close to coronation proceedings, alongside their children: George, Charlotte and Louis. The role of Kate in the coronation is a lynchpin for the overall transitioning effect from one era of the monarchy to another, as she is often cited as the most popular working royal in Britain. Kate is certainly the most photographed royal and is held up as a beloved style icon.

Even after the events of Harry's memoir, which has caused a plummet in popularity for royalty in general, Kate has emerged from the fall-out with a degree of unscathed public opinion as she's retained a silent dignity.