Writing in his regular Sunday Times column, the Yorkshire-born journalist and broadcaster said the King would not be the first monarch to opt for a smaller ceremony than is usually expected by tradition.

He said: “King Charles hinted last week that, compared with the golden, myrrh-flecked extravagances of old, his coronation will be more diverse and, we must assume, more sustainable as well. Certainly, it will be smaller and therefore less expensive.

"In 1831 there was a recession, so, much to the consternation of traditionalists, who called it the “half-crown coronation”, William IV spent a sixth of what his dad had blown on his big day. Weirdly, Queen Victoria also kept costs down to such an extent that the choir and the orchestra were so under-rehearsed they performed different songs at the same time."

Jeremy Clarkson attending the ITV Autumn Entertainment launch.

He added: “Even the people who run the show can change. You may imagine that it’s always the Archbishop of Canterbury who does the honours. But it isn’t. It’s whoever’s around. Liz I was crowned by the Bishop of Carlisle. So Charles could go for Phillip Schofield. He doesn’t even have to be crowned in London. Henry III chose Gloucester, so Charles could level up and choose Sheffield if the mood took him. Maybe he should.”

Reports in recent days have claimed the ceremony will be cut from more than three hours to just over one, compared with the Queen’s crowning.

Guest numbers will be reduced from 8,000 to around 2,000, with peers wearing suits and dresses instead of ceremonial robes and a number of rituals, such as the presentation of gold ingots, axed.

Westminster Abbey, where the event will actually be staged, has been the coronation church since 1066 – the Queen’s crowning was the 38th.

Jeremy Clarkson makes light-hearted suggestion King Charles's coronation should be in Sheffield