King Charles III will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen consort, on Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey. A number of other events have been planned, which will mark three days of ceremonies dedicated to the coronation of the British monarch, BBC and CNN report.
More than 26 million Britons watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and more than 20 million people in Britain watched her coronation in 1953. For the new king, this is a defining moment: a historic spectacle, but also an opportunity to strengthen the Crown’s relationship with the British people and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Charles becomes the 39th monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey
With the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at her home in Balmoral on September 8, 2022, Charles III became king instantly. In the days that followed, he was officially proclaimed Britain’s new monarch and now, after months of painstaking preparation, the official coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey.
Thousands of people are expected to gather at Westminster Abbey and the surrounding streets in central London to witness the events scheduled for Saturday, May 6.
Buckingham Palace said the ceremony “will reflect the role of the monarch today and look to the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and spectacle”.
How the coronation ceremony of Charles III will take place
Charles III’s coronation is expected to be shorter than his mother’s seven decades ago. Back then, the ceremony, which was the first royal event to be televised live, lasted more than three hours.
This time, many experts suggest it is likely to last around two hours. Coronations have largely followed the same pattern for more than 1,000 years, and organizers rely on that structure. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will lead the ceremony.
The basic elements of the service are recognition, oath, anointing, investiture, crowning and homage. Recognition is when the sovereign presents himself to the people.
After taking the coronation oath – which is an oath to rule the country according to law, to exercise justice with mercy and to uphold the Church of England – the monarch is anointed with holy oil by the archbishop.
This moment is considered the most sacred part of the service and was not televised in 1953 at the coronation of Elizabeth II.
The next part is the investiture, when the sovereign is dressed in sacred coronation robes and is presented with the symbols of the monarchy: the globe, the coronation ring, the sceptres, and others. Towards the end of the ceremony, the crown of St Edward is placed on top of the monarch’s head before the princes and peers turn to the sovereign to pay their respects in what is known as the homage.
At this ceremony, existing information says that only Prince William will kneel before the king. Meanwhile, the peers were replaced by the public who were invited to swear allegiance to Charles if they wished.
What will King Charles III wear to the coronation
During the service, the King will don layer upon layer of glittering robes, some of which were created for his great-grandfather George V.
Prince William will assist during the service by placing a ceremonial robe on his father. King Charles will be given a long, shiny coat with golden sleeves called the Supertunic. The robe was created for George V in 1911 and has been worn at successive coronations, including Queen Elizabeth II.
The supertunic weighs around 2kg and is made of cloth of gold – silk thread wrapped in thin pieces of gold or silver metal – and is embroidered with stylized arabesques and floral motifs. Layered over the Supertunic will be a floor-length cloak called the Imperial Cloak, which was made for George IV in 1821.
The coat was worn by Charles III’s predecessors, including Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation in 1953.
In a move to make the event more sustainable, the King decided to reuse the belt and glove worn by his grandfather George VI – the last male monarch.
The 1937 Sword Belt, also known as the Coronation Belt, is made of embroidered gold cloth and has a gold buckle stamped with national emblems.
During the investiture, it will be placed around the King’s waist, over the Supertunic, and has a gold clasp used for the short attachment of the bejeweled Sword of Offering, which symbolizes the ability to decide between good and evil.
The unique coronation glove will also go on King Charles’ right hand as he holds the crossed sovereign’s scepter during the coronation.
More than 2,200 people will attend the service at Westminster Abbey. Although Buckingham Palace is not releasing a detailed list of guests, it has confirmed that the congregation will be made up of members of the royal family as well as international representatives from 203 countries, including around 100 heads of state, among other dignitaries.
Schedule of coronation events.
Westminster Abbey will host the first coronation ceremony in 70 years. Crowds are expected along the Mall, Whitehall and Parliament Square.
Here is the schedule of events:
6:00 a.m. in London (8:00 a.m. in Romania): the viewing areas along the procession route are open.
7.15am – 8.30am (9.15am – 10.30am in Romania): Guests from Westminster begin arriving at the security checkpoints in Victoria Tower Gardens.
9:00 a.m. (11:00 a.m. in Romania): The congregation is seated inside the Abbey. 9:45 a.m. (11:45 a.m. in Romania): The sovereign’s escort begins to gather for the King’s Procession from Buckingham Palace.
9.30 – 10.45 (11.30 – 12.45 in Romania): Heads of state, members of foreign royal families, members of the British royal family, representatives of foreign governments, British government ministers, prime ministers and former prime ministers arrive.
10:20 a.m. (12:20 p.m. in Romania): The King’s Procession. The King and Queen travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.
11:00 a.m. (1:00 p.m. in Romania): The coronation ceremony begins.
The service will be followed by the Coronation Procession – the King and Queen return from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.
Later in the afternoon, the King and Queen will greet crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
On May 7, the day after the coronation, thousands of events are expected to take place across the country as part of the ‘Coronation Big Lunch’, with Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Take That set to perform at the ‘Concert of coronation’ at Windsor Castle, which takes place on Sunday evening.
The concert will be attended by volunteers from the King and Queen’s charities, as well as several thousand members of the public selected by a national poll organized by the BBC.
However, some royal fans have criticized Ticketmaster for their handling of tickets for May 7. The concert on Sunday 7 May will take place in the grounds of Windsor Castle in front of a crowd of 20,000 members of the public and will be broadcast on BBC television and radio.
It will start at 20.00 local time (no. 22.00 in Romania). The final day of the long weekend invites Britons to enjoy the day off by volunteering in their communities.
Thousands of organizations across the country encourage the public to get involved in their local communities by offering a variety of opportunities to get involved. Pubs, clubs and bars across England and Wales will stay open an extra two hours on Friday and Saturday so Britons and tourists alike can celebrate the coronation of the new monarch.
