7 Times King Charles Broke Royal Tradition
7 Times King Charles Broke Royal Tradition
Emily BlackwoodSun, August 2, 2026 at 10:30 AM UTC
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King Charles III outside Buckingham Palace in 2026Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty -
King Charles has modernized several royal traditions, including wearing sustainable garments at his coronation and simplifying his daily routines
The monarch has prioritized transparency by publicly disclosing personal taxes and maintaining public access to royal properties
Some of his actions, like praying with the Pope and filming Christmas messages outside royal residences, have made history
King Charles has proven himself to be a modern monarch.
Throughout the course of his reign — which began in 2022 after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth — the sovereign has broken several royal traditions dating back as far as 500 years. But those who have long known the king say his modern approach was decades in the making.
“He definitely had his own views on how he wanted to run the operation,” biographer Robert Hardman, who wrote The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, told PEOPLE in January 2024. “He had his way of operating and he had his organizations and his charities, and there wasn’t a great rush to suddenly seize control.”
Most recently, the palace confirmed in June 2026 that King Charles and Queen Camillawon’t move into Buckingham Palace after its extensive renovations are completed, instead remaining in Clarence House, which has served as their official residence since 2003.
From his coronation outfit to his place of residence, here are seven notable ways that King Charles has broken royal tradition during his time on the throne.
King Charles wore his own pants at his coronation ceremony
King Charles III at his coronation ceremonyCredit: Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty
Royal coronation ceremonies are steeped in tradition. Among the rules established by the 14th-century Liber Regalis (or Royal Book) are guidelines for what the new monarch should wear, a few of which King Charles opted against during his 2023 ceremony, per The Telegraph.
For starters, the new head of state declined to wear the silk stockings and breeches of kings past, instead donning his Royal Navy trousers, per the BBC. He also chose to reuse a number of garments made for King George’s coronation in the interest of “sustainability and efficiency,” according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
He made private rooms at Balmoral Castle available for tours
Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew at Balmoral Castle in 1979Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
In April 2024, King Charles briefly opened up private rooms in Balmoral Castle, the monarch’s summer home in Scotland, for public tours. Before the addition, non-royals were only able to see the ballroom, the grounds and the gardens, per TIME.
Balmoral Castle has been the site of many notable royal moments, including the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022.
King Charles ended multi-course breakfasts
Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles revealed in his 2025 book Cooking & The Crown (via Marie Claire) that his mother and the King had broken away from the monarch’s traditional, multi-course “gut-busting” breakfasts.
Instead, the couple prefers a simpler spread, with King Charles eating dried fruit and honey. Parker Bowles wrote that his family’s eating habits were “a thoroughly modern, and healthy, start to the day” that he didn’t think “[Queen] Victoria would have approved.”
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He has filmed multiple addresses in untraditional locations
King Charles during his Christmas message in 2025Credit: Aaron Chown -WPA Pool/Getty
Since the 1930s, the reigning monarch has broadcast an annual Christmas message, which has typically been filmed in a royal residence.
In 2023, King Charles gave his address next to a living tree to mark his dedication to environmental causes. The following year, the monarch deviated from the norm once again by filming the message at Fitzrovia Chapel in London, marking the first time that the address was given outside of a royal property since 2006.
It was a choice he repeated once again with his 2025 speech, which took place at the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey in London.
King Charles prayed with the Pope
Pope Leo XVI and King Charles in Vatican City in 2025Credit: Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media viaVatican Pool/Getty
In October 2025, King Charles prayed alongsidePope Leo inside the Sistine Chapel, a historic event that marked the first time a British monarch has prayed with a Pope in public in 500 years.
The event marked a “significant moment” in relations between the Catholic Church and the Church of England, per Buckingham Palace. King Charles serves as Supreme Governor of the latter.
“Seventy years ago, it was not possible for Catholics and Anglicans to go into one another’s churches without causing great offense,” Jamie Hawkey, a canon theologian at Westminster Abbey, told reporters during a briefing (via The Guardian), calling King Charles and Pope Leo’s meeting “a moment where history can be seen to be healed.”
He disclosed his taxes to the public
King Charles made royal history in June 2026 when he became the first reigning British monarch to make the amount he paid in personal taxes public.
The King disclosed in the annual Sovereign Grant Report that he had paid $41 million (£30 million) in personal taxes since acceding to the throne in 2022. The move was aligned with Buckingham Palace’s efforts to provide more transparency around royal finances after years of scrutiny regarding the family’s wealth, property arrangements and public funding.
King Charles won’t move into Buckingham Palace
King Charles III in 2026 ; Buckingham Palace in 2026Credit: Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP via Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage
The 2026 Sovereign Grant Report also revealed another of the king’s deviations from tradition: that he and Queen Camilla would not move into Buckingham Palace. Instead, they are expected to continue living in Clarence House in London, which has been their home base since 2003.
“His Majesty retains huge affection for Buckingham Palace and a deep respect for its role in royal and public life,” the palace said of the King’s feelings. “It will remain a working home but we are seeking to widen public access precisely to maximise the national benefit of a publicly-funded building.”
Currently, the palace is undergoing a multimillion-dollar, decade-long renovation, which is set to finish in 2027.
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