The preparations were released as part of Operation Golden Orb, the United Kingdom’s top-secret blueprint for the country’s first coronation in seven decades.

Here, Mirror Royal Editor Russell Myers examines the significance of the news and what it means for the monarchy’s future…

A streamlined coronation is the only way for Prince Charles to prove he means business after years of pledging a slimmed-down monarchy when he ultimately claims the throne.

In today’s society, senior royals are acutely conscious of the need to demonstrate their worth, and the weight of this responsibility has fallen hard on the Prince of Wales.

A shorter, less spectacular ceremony at Westminster Abbey, albeit with the somewhat grandiose codename Operation Golden Orb, will be welcomed by a populace more worried with rising living costs than with what insignia will be put on postboxes.

Charles may appear to be a man from another period, less in touch with the modern world than his son William and daughter-in-law Kate, but those close to him will tell you that he is sincerely concerned about the impact he can have.

In the 1970s, when the UK was grappling with record levels of unemployment and spiralling inflation, Prince Charles used his Navy severance pay of £7,400 to sponsor a number of community activities.

The Prince’s Trust charity has gone on to change the lives of tens of thousands of young people who would otherwise have had little chance of success.

His 50-year environmental struggle, which was frequently mocked and criticised, was also groundbreaking in its inception at a period when the types of debates that are normal today just weren’t happening at all.

Another subtle indication that Charles will conduct things differently will be exhibited on his coronation day, when, as the new Supreme Governor of the Church of England, he will express his desire to be a “defender of religion” rather than “the faith.”

Charles’ reign may wind up being a footnote in history compared to his mother’s epic record-breaking reign, but his impact will definitely echo for decades to come.