Grandeur and glory on an epic day in history
which featured four pages led by Prince George, looking resplendent in his red coat as he bore his grandfather’s train.
Music has always been central to the King’s life, and the composer Hubert Parry – who wrote the melody for that great English anthem Jerusalem and the poignant hymn Dear Lord and Father of Mankind – has long been a particular favourite of his.
In fact, as Prince of Wales, he made a magnificent documentary about Parry, showing passion for his composition and scholarship in researching his career.
So it was perhaps inevitable that Parry’s spine-tingling song “I Was Glad” should be used to mark the entrance of the King and Queen.
Soon afterwards came one of the most significant moments of the service, after he and Camilla had reached the Chairs of Estate that were placed on a platform known as the Coronation Theatre.
Having been greeted by the 14-year-old chorister Samuel Strachan, he replied with words that encapsulate the central theme of dedication in the Christian faith. “In His
‘Ceremony captured spiritual dimension’
Name and after His Example, I come not to be served but to serve.”
In that statement, there was a profound echo of the broadcast that his late mother made in 1947 on her 21st birthday, when she told her subjects that she would “dedicate my whole life to your service”.
She lived up to that pledge, which is why she was so universally revered. The King is now following her inspirational example.
After this promise of service by the King, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby greeted the congregation from the high altar, before leading the King to give a “solemn” oath that he would govern his realm and territories “according to their respective laws and customs”. Although the King was clearly one of the architects of this service, tremendous credit should also be given to Welby for the confidence, command, clarity and conviction that he displayed throughout the ceremony. It was in part due to his leadership that everything went so smoothly. In advance, he had declared that “the
Coronation promises to be a beautiful, joyful and historic occasion”. Thanks not least to him, it lived up to that billing,
After the reading from the Prime Minister, there was a memorable performance by the Ascension choir, and Welby’s own powerful sermon, which was on the theme of how the Christian gospel calls on each of us to serve.
For the King, he said that “the weight of the task you have been given today is only bearable by the spirit of God.” Welby was central to the next two stages of the religious ceremony, which were the most moving because they captured the ancient, spiritual dimension of kingship.
The first, which involved the Anointing of the King by the Archbishop, was deemed so sacred that it could not be viewed by the television audience or the congregation.
Instead, the ritual took place behind a set of screen that had been specially woven for the occasion, featuring the design of a tree with 56 leaves, one to represent each nation of the Commonwealth. Tradition was never stronger than at this moment, as Welby administered the Holy Oil to the King’s head, hands and chest, using the Coronation spoon that dates back to the 12th century.
For this profoundly touching moment, the King wore a white tunic, whose pure simplicity was in dramatic contrast to all epic grandeur of jewels, robes and uniforms in the Abbey.
But grandeur, symbolic of the Crown’s temporal power, could not be ignored for long. It returned for the next step, the presentation of the regalia to the King, made up historic items like the Sword of State, the Spurs made for Charles II, and the Orb.
Again, diversity was to the forefront, as the members of the distinguished party that presented the regalia included TV presenter Baroness Floella Benjamin and the renowned nurse Dame Elizabeth Anionwu.
Then came perhaps the climax of the service, as King Charles was formally crowned by Welby while he sat on the Coronation Chair, the orb and sceptre in his hands. For this purpose, the mighty St Edward’s Crown was used, weighing almost five pounds and dating back – like so much Royal regalia – to the reign of Charles II following the interregnum by Cromwellian Puritans who, in a fit of zeal, had melted down most of the medieval treasures. Because the St Edward’s Crown is so