King Charles III's Coronation Is Breaking From A Long-Standing Pie Tradition

The British Royal family upholds quite a few curious customs, many of which date back centuries. Take lamprey pie, for instance, a culinary tradition that first took hold during the 12th century. Every Christmas, royals were bequeathed a lamprey pie by the city of Gloucester, England. This practice continued until the mid-19th century when lampreys became too expensive for the common man. However, lamprey pies continued to be an important part of coronations, at least until the most recent crowning of England's latest king.

So, what are lampreys? While often referred to as eels due to their sleek bodies and lack of scales, lampreys are an ancient type of fish that have been kicking around the planet for 350 million years. Lampreys are invasive in some parts of the world, including the Great Lakes region of the U.S. Conversely, lampreys are included on the Red List of threatened freshwater fish in Europe, as stated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Because of their threatened status, the fish will be conspicuously absent from King Charles III's upcoming coronation.

In the U.K., King Charles III is sometimes referred to as "the green king." This colorful moniker has much to do with the King's passion for a broad range of environmental causes, including combatting climate change and advocating for sustainable farming practices. He's also quite dedicated to conservation, which puts him between a rock and a hard place when it comes to upholding royal tradition and remaining committed to the environment.

Consider for a moment that Charles has other options when it comes to the lampreys that make up royal pies. As reported by Today, Queen Elizabeth II's Sapphire Jubilee, which took place in 2017, used lampreys from North America, where the fish is associated with environmental and commercial destruction due to its invasive nature. However, even outsourced lamprey is considered bad optics by the king, so the pie will be wholly absent from the festivities. Instead, attendees of the coronation must make do with Gloucester's updated pie, which BBC News notes will feature pork and apples.