Coronation of Charles III
he Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
TKing Charles III acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.
What is a coronation?
A coronation is both the symbolic religious ceremony during which a sovereign is crowned and the physical act of placing a crown on a monarch’s head.
It formalises the monarch’s role as the head of the Church of England and marks the transfer of their title and powers.
However, it is not actually necessary for the monarch to be crowned to become King.
Edward VIII reigned without a coronation - and Charles automatically became King the moment the Queen died.
What happens at a coronation?
Coronations have remained much the same for more 1,000 years. The British ceremony is the only remain event of its type in Europe.
However, Buckingham Palace has said that althou coronation will be “rooted in long-standing traditions , will also “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towar the future”.
It is likely to be shorter and smaller in scale than Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation, with a wider range of religions represented.
The coronation procession is also expected to be more modest. Queen Elizabeth’s procession had 16,000 participants and took 45 minutes to pass any stationary point on the 7km (4.3 miles) route.
This time the King and Queen will travel to Westminster Abbey in the King’s procession, and return to Buckingham Palace in a larger coronation procession, where other members of the Royal Family will join them.
There are several stages to the service:
• The recognition: While standing beside the Coronation Chair, the monarch is presented to those gathered in the Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The congregation shouts “God Save the King!”, and trumpets sound
• The oath: The sovereign swears to uphold the law and the Church of England
• The anointing: The King’s ceremonial robe is removed, and he sits in the Coronation Chair. A gold cloth is held over the chair to conceal the King from view. The Archbishop of Canterbury anoints the King’s hands, breast and head with holy oil made to a secret recipe but known to contain ambergris, orange flowers, roses, jasmine, and cinnamon
• The investiture: The sovereign is presented with items including the Royal Orb, representing religious and moral authority; the Sceptre, representing power; and the Sovereign’s Sceptre, a rod of gold topped with a white enamelled dove, a symbol of justice and mercy. Finally, the Archbishop places St Edward’s Crown on the King’s head
• The enthronement and homage: The King leaves the ronation Chair and moves to the throne. Peers kneel re the monarch to pay homage The Queen will then be in the same way and crowned.
o to the coronation?
The coronation is a state occasion, which means the government controls the guest list.
In addition to the Royal Family, those attending will include the prime minister, representatives from the Houses of Parliament, heads of state, and other royals from around the world.