‘A bit much’: Piers Morgan defends the King’s right to hold traditional coronation

British media personality Piers Morgan has jumped to the defence of  King Charles III after the Monarch announced his coronation would be a more traditional affair, given the ceremony would be “a bit much” for modern times.

On his show Uncensored, Morgan expressed concern over reports that the Monarchy will be “slimming down” the traditional four-hour ceremony, shortening it to one, and removing a lot of the extravagance that was seen for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

Morgan said he was in two minds about the reports, saying he understood that the world was in a “cost of living crisis”, but that the events of the late Queen’s funeral had “showed the world what we can do”.

Speaking with fellow journalist Jenny Kleeman, Morgan slammed the call to modernize the ceremony to keep up with shortened “attention spans”.

“I think we live in a digital age where people’s attention spans are a lot shorter, I think four hours is a bit much, you could make one hour very sensational,” Kleeman said.

Morgan interjected: “It’s not a reality TV show. It’s the coronation of our Monarch!”

Kleeman continued to argue that scaling back some of the lavish elements of the ceremony would be a good idea right now.

“But also, the special coronation carriage is like a gold carriage,” she said.

“You have to imagine, at a time when a lot of people have no savings anymore.”

Morgan interrupted: “What do you want him in an Uber?”

Kleeman defended her position: “I don’t want him in an Uber. What I’m saying is there’s something in between an Uber and a gold carriage.”

Morgan countered: “I don’t think for a King there is.”

“I don’t think you can go downsizing from a gold carriage. I think if you’re going to have leaders, and heads of state and Monarchs, then they’ve got to have all the trinkets.”

Kleeman conceded that Charles had already shown the world that he could combine “being regal with being humble”, saying she trusted the coronation wouldn’t end up being just a “cash splash”.

Buckingham Palace has announced the ceremony will be held on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey and like his predecessors, he will be crowned in London’s Westminster Abbey where the Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct the service.

The Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey.

The Ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort.

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 11, 2022

“The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,” the Palace announced in a statement.