Prince Charles could be crowned king in a multifaith ceremony, a senior church official recently has revealed.

Canon John Hall, the dean-elect of London's Westminster Abbey where the ceremony would take place, claims the traditional Christian ceremony should be altered to incorporate the country's multicultural population.

He says, "It must be different in some ways because of the nature of society and how things have changed.

"We need to recognise the reality of religion at the heart of our national life.

"Rather than hold it possessively, it has become possible to help to create space for other religions within our national life. It is leading to inclusion and cohesion."

However, a spokeswoman for the Prince insists, "No discussions have taken place between (Royal household) Clarence House and Canon John Hall."

Queen Elizabeth II's son has already made it clear he would like to be "defender of faith", rather than "defender of the faith (Christianity)" when he succeeds to the throne.

In addition, former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey controversially claimed that the coronation of the Prince of Wales must be an "interfaith" event, according to a television interview.

Carey claimed that the next coronation needs "very significant changes" so that it is "inclusive" of other religions that have spread across Britain.

However, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, disagrees. In a 2003 interview, Dr Williams emphasised the need for Prince Charles to stick to his duty to defend the Church of England when he becomes king. "Unless something really radical happens with the constitution, he is, like it or not, Defender of the Faith and he has a relationship with the Christian Church of a kind which he does not have with other faith communities."