King Charles' coronation could spark a "constitutional crisis" thanks to his affair and divorce, an expert claimed.
The monarch is set to be coronated on May 6 with the Queen Consort Camilla by his side – but their relationship had a controversial start while Charles was still married to the late Princess Diana.
Royal biographer Anthony Holden has now claimed that Charles' cheating and divorce from the People's Princess could threaten his coronation.
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Writing in the Guardian, Holden said: "The Church of England has never crowned a divorced man as King, let alone one who has publicly confessed to adultery – with the relevant woman expecting to be crowned Queen Consort.
"The late Robert Runcie [the former Archbishop of Canterbury] told me this would require a revision of the coronation oath, which would require a new statute of Parliament.
"Given the convention that Parliament does not debate the monarchy without the monarch's consent, this would require the Prime Minister to seek King Charles's permission. This, Runcie told me, would amount to a constitutional crisis."
But others aren't sure about the claim and reckon the new King is in the clear.
Sir Vernon Bogdanor, a research professor at King's College London's Centre for British Politics and Government, told the Mail on Sunday: "Charles and Camilla's wedding was followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication, led by Archbishop Rowan Williams.
"This surely overrides anything Robert Runcie may or may not have said."
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Meanwhile barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC added that the coronation is ceremonial and, given that Charles is already King, there is no reason why it should be invalidated by Charles' divorce.
He said: "The coronation is a legal irrelevance, just a silly and superstitious Church of England ritual. Charles has no need at all to be crowned by a minority church."
Charles began his affair with Camilla in 1986, five years after he had married Princess Diana, but didn't divorce his late wife until 1992.
Two years later the then-Prince of Wales confessed to the affair, saying he had remained true to the People's Princess only "until [the marriage] became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried."
The King and Queen Consort eventually tied the knot in a civil ceremony on April 9, 2005.
King Charles will be coronated on Saturday, May 6, and will also see Camilla crowned Queen Consort after the pair ascended the throne in September
The ceremony is expected to mostly keep the same elements as his mother's coronation in 1953 and the many that came before her's, with the structure having remained similar for more than 1000 years.
However, this coronation will be updated to reflect the times we live in.
The Palace said the ceremony will be "rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry" but also "reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future".
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