So strong, the love of a father and his son
but provided more than 200 portable toilets around the Mall.all these participants were united by their desire to do their best in honour of their newly crowned sovereign.
Given the solemnity of the occasion, the King looked determined and resolute as he performed his duties with dignity and aplomb.
As happened after the death of his mother last September, his regal demeanour reinforced the perception that he is a man born to be King.
Throughout the service, both responsibility and spiritual awareness were etched on his distinguished face, emphasising how deeply he has always contemplated the impact of his faith on the Crown.
But this was not a figure overawed by his burden.at 74, he was the oldest monarch in history to be crowned, yet he seemed more youthful than his years, his composure reflecting his long training for kingship as Prince ofwales since 1969.
During the Crowning in the Abbey, accompanied by the ringing of its bells in addition to gun salutes throughout the country, it was impossible not to feel a lump in the throat. But more emotion was evoked
‘King Charles is an original thinker’
when the Prince of Wales knelt before his father, placed his own hands between the King’s hands and vowed to be his “liege man of life and limb”.
Never has the bond between eldest son and father seemed more strong.
His consort Camilla, exuding stylish elegance, understandably seemed more nervous as she was crowned, but inwardly this must have been a sweet moment of acceptance for her after all she endured as a figure of public opprobrium in the 1990s.
Creative, thoughtful, and intellectually curious, King Charles is an original thinker who has always been able to embrace the modern while respecting tradition.
It was a balance that shone through the Coronation, which matched reverence for the past with the values of 21st century Britain, particularly in the embrace of cultural and multi-faith diversity.
So the music in the Abbey featured historic works like the Elizabethan composer William Byrd’s Prevent Us O Lord, as well as an evocative new song by Andrew Lloyd Webber composed especially for the Coronation, and performances by the black gospel choir Ascension and a Greek Orthodox choir. In the same tone, one of the lessons was read by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the first Hindu and visible ethnic minority politician in the post.
When Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953, her prime minister was Winston Churchill, who had been born in Blenheim Palace and had served in Queen Victoria’s army as a cavalry officer.
By contrast, Rishi Sunak was born to a Southampton-based GP and his pharmacist wife, both of migrant descent. That contrast is another indicator of how Britain has changed over recent decades, a point that was also acknowledged in the contributions at the beginning and end of the service by five non-christian faith leaders representing Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam.
Interestingly, the voices of these five representatives of “neighbours in the faith”, as they have been called, could not be amplified by any audio aids since orthodox Jewish Shabbat regulations forbid a Rabbi from using a microphone.
The duality between old and new was mirrored in so many other aspects of the day, such as the contrast between medieval customs and the ubiquity of mobile smartphones among the well-wishers.
Similarly, the ornate Gold State coach that brought the King and Queen from Westminster Abbey was built in 1762, whereas the Diamond Jubilee coach, that conveyed them in the morning from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey, was only completed in 2014 and has modern features such as air conditioning, push button controls and hydraulic suspension.
It was at 10.20am on this rainy Saturday morning that King Charles and Queen Camilla left the Palace in the Diamond Jubilee coach, which was pulled by six Windsor Grey horses.
Just as the Jubilee coach was more modest than the historic Gold State Coach, so the morning procession was far smaller than the one used for the return journey after the service, featuring just 200 mounted personnel from the Household Cavalry, though 1,000 members of the Armed Forces flanked the route down the Mall, through Admiralty Arch, and then along Whitehall to Parliament Square. But already, despite the weather, huge crowds had gathered at the scene.
While this journey was undertaken, the guests began to assemble at Westminster Abbey, a mix of VIPS, world leaders, celebrities, politicians and ordinary citizens who had been invited to honour their service to the nation.
Because of health and safety laws, the size of the 2,300-strong congregation was much more limited than the 8,000 who attended Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation, which required special seating to be installed in the Abbey.
But the restriction on numbers did not diminish the extraordinary range of guests.
Actress Dame Emma Thompson could be seen arriving alongside pop stars Nick Cave, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as well as TV presenters Ant and Dec. Down the aisle came Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer,