King Charles III – Coronation – By Dr Tilak S. Fernando
At Westminster Abbey, Charles III was crowned as the modern King. The occasion was highlighted with pomp and glory, returning to the 13th Century. Westminster Abbey holds every Royal occasion and retains the tombs of previous kings and queens since 1066. Westminster Abbey had performed sixteen weddings, including the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, and Queens and seventeen monarchs. Westminster Abbey commenced functioning as an Anglican Church by Henry III in 1245.
King Charles III’s procession began at Buckingham Palace. The Royals (King Charles III and the Queen) travelled in the Diamond Jubilee State coach drawn by six “Windsor grey horses”. Inside Westminster Abbey were two thousand two hundred invitees, including politicians and celebrities worldwide. The King’s son, William, became the Prince of Wales when his father, who was marking time for 70 years to the position of King after the demise of Queen Elizabeth II, followed by his wife and children. His brother Harry attended the ceremony on his own.
King Charles III became the fortieth monarch of the United Kingdom. The coronation of the British monarchs remained unchanged for nearly one thousand years. Britton’s last coronation was in 1953, when the late Queen Elizabeth was crowned at age 27.
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“The Archbishop of Canterbury performed the service at Westminster. Rituals such as recognition, coronation oath, anointing, investiture and enthronement were done in line with customs and spectacle.”
King Charles III vowed to defend the Anglican church at the coronation service. After the anointing of the King’s ceremonial robe was removed. The Archbishop of Canterbury anointed King Charles III with holy oil, deliberating God’s grace upon the monarch and placed St. Edward’s crown on the King’s head, followed by everyone in Westminster Abbey cheering “ God save the King”. Simultaneously, the British anthem was played during the sacred parts of the ceremony. At the same time, military across the UK fired gun salutes to mark the historic occasion.
Westminster Abbey has many architectural masterpieces from the 13th to 16th Centuries. Westminster Abbey preserves the shrine of St Edward, the Confessor, tombs of previous kings and queens and many of the famous and the great.
