Hundreds of Lords inundate Cabinet Office wrongly claiming roles at King ... trends now

Peers who believe they have a hereditary right to participate in the King's Coronation have inundated the Cabinet Office with claims, it has been revealed.

Last month, the government established the Coronations Claims Office allowing anyone whose ancestor played a part in the late Queen's 1953 Coronation to perform the same role for His Majesty's ceremony on May 6.

Yesterday in the House of Commons, Oliver Dowden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, revealed over 200 applications had been received ahead of the deadline today, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Of these, it is believed just 10 to 20 per cent of claims have been deemed credible for further investigation, as a source said many applicant may not have been aware of the 'high bar' involved.

As part of the process, candidates were asked for evidence that the claimed role had been performed at previous coronations, as well as their connection to the person involved.

Ecclesiastical experts from Lambeth Palace and ceremonial chiefs from the Royal household will be consulted about any plausible claims before a decision is made.

The Coronation Claims Office replace the ancient Court of Claims ritual which has determined coronation roles for peers and members of the gentry.

The court heard 21 claims in the last weeks of 1952 as arrangements were made for Queen Elizabeth II's crowning.

Giving evidence to the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, Mr Dowden said the new claims office had modernised the process,

He told the committee: 'Even with an enormous coronation as we had in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth, many of those claims were not upheld because they pertained to customs of

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