The Coronation of King William IV

William IV had “an inbred dislike of
ceremonial,” said historian Roy Strong. At first, he balked at the idea of
holding his own coronation, but he had to give in to courtiers and government
officials, realizing that it was a constitutional thing to do so. However, he
laid his condition: there must be no ceremonial or procession associated with
Westminster Hall. This decision irked the Tories, who called the event the
“Half Crown-nation”. According to Strong, William’s insistence on a
bare coronation ceremony “signalled the end of a whole litany of symbolic
acts going back to the Middle Ages, including the coronation banquet, the
ritual of the King’s Champion throwing down the gauntlet, and endless petty actions
related to land tenure”.

Wearing his admiral’s uniform and Queen
Adelaide, in white and gold dress, the royal couple travelled to and from the
Abbey in the Gold State Coach made for George III in 1762. This set the
precedence for future coronations of providing a public spectacle for the
masses.

In terms of cost, William IV’s coronation
was the complete opposite of his brother’s lavish coronation in 1821. George
IV’s coronation cost the government £240,000, (equivalent to £21,800,000 in
2021). This William abhorred and went to the opposite extreme, spending only
£30,000 on a “cut-price” event (equivalent to £2,900,000 in 2021).
Seven years later, Queen Victoria’s coronation was budgeted at £70,000 to
achieve a compromise between the two extremes.

The Coronation Procession of William IV by Richard Barrett Davis. Royal Collection Trust.

In contrast to Queen Victoria’s coronation in 1838, little attention was given to organizing public entertainment for the event. As a result, the people had to content themselves with the two processions between St James’s and the Abbey. The day commenced with a gun salute fired in Hyde Park at 5 am, followed by the royal family departing from the Palace at 9 am. An hour later, the King and Queen embarked on the Gold State Coach, which was used for the first time in a coronation. Accompanied by the Life Guards, the coaches proceeded along Pall Mall, passing through Charing Cross and continuing along Whitehall towards the abbey. Along the route, foot guards lined the streets, and temporary stands were erected to accommodate spectators, with the ones at Charing Cross having a capacity of up to three thousand individuals. In favourable weather, the return procession commenced from the abbey at 3:30 pm. That evening, the “New Avenue,” now recognized as The Mall, was illuminated and opened to the public for the very first time.

Coronation of William IV and Queen Adelaide. Image from Adelaide Economic Development Agency [Australia]

Here’s more about King William IV’s
coronation from The Evening News (June 14, 1902)

It is easy to imagine the details of the
fight that has evidently been going on in the Privy Council over the Coronation
service (says a London paper). The laymen want, naturally, to cut it down as
far as possible. The ecclesiastics have resisted every suggestion of the kind.
Exactly the same thing took place when William IV came to the throne, except
that whereas King Edward is said to be anxious for the retention of all that is
important, King William’s one idea was to drop all he could. But the Bishops
would have none -of it. “We shall weary the Almighty with our supplications,”
was Lord Brougham’s remark at the sitting of the Committee of the Privy
Council, when Archbishop Howley and Bishop Blomfleld positively refused to permit
the Coronation service to be curtailed. The great dispute was about the homage,
as when the “ceremonial” was submitted for approval to William IV., he vowed
that nothing would induce him to go through the ordeal of being kissed by the
Bishops. His Majesty did not object to the salute of the peers, but he
protested that he would sooner not be crowned than submit to being kissed by
the prelates, and he ordered that part of the programme to be cut out. However,
the Archbishop remonstrated vigorously, and the King knocked under, but with a
bad grace. At the Levee the day before the Coronation, His Majesty’s ill-temper
was the subject of general remark, and he caused a scene with the Officer of
the Guard, who was publicly rebuked by the King for not having his cap on.