The coronation of Charles III and Queen consort Camila will take place on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey. The festivities will continue on the 7th and 8th in the United Kingdom to celebrate this historic event.
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned on Saturday May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey. But May 7 and 8 will also be days of celebration. On Sundays, the British people are encouraged to participate in neighborhood parties to celebrate the coronation. Monday is a public holiday for the occasion in order to invite the British to carry out voluntary actions within the framework of the “Big Help Out” project.
The festivities have a code name: “Operation Golden Orb”. The purpose of the ceremony is to publicly formalize the transfer of royal powers to Charles III. This is not compulsory in the British monarchy: Edward VIII reigned without any coronation and Charles was automatically named Charles III on the death of his mother Elizabeth. The event will be more modest so as not to relive the endless procession of Elizabeth II and some 16,000 participants present on a 7 kilometer route. Charles and Camilla will parade quickly through Westminster Abbey before being joined by members of the Royal Family in a procession leading to Buckingham Palace. The palace keeps the mystery on the composition of the people authorized to appear on the balcony of the famous palace.
A lighter ceremony
British media believe that the ceremony will be modest and economical due to the crisis. The king’s procession will thus be very short compared to that experienced by Elizabeth II. According to the Daily Mirror, “the king is aware of the difficult daily life of the English.” As a reminder, the 1953 ceremony cost 1.57 million pounds at the time, or around 45 million euros today. That of 2023 should barely last an hour. In this sense, Charles III detaches himself from the codes, Elizabeth II having respected the code of the three ceremonial hours. The monarchy wishes to unveil a modern and lucid image on the situation of the country: “the coronation will also reflect the role of the monarch today and will look to the future although it is rooted in ancient traditions”.
Will Harry be present at his father’s coronation?
No definitive answer for the moment but the British press is rather of the opinion to see Harry and his wife Meghan Markle absent from the ceremony. Sean Coughlan, a journalist specializing in the royal family, says the couple received an email invitation to the coronation. But the spokesperson for the exiled couple in the United States did not reveal an official response: “An immediate decision as to the presence of the Duke and Duchess will not be disclosed by us at this time.”
Who are the artists designated for the concert?
The royal palace has not yet lifted the mystery on the programming of this highly anticipated concert at Windsor Castle on the evening of Saturday May 6. The BBC will be in charge of its retransmission. Speculation is therefore rife but the only current solid information is to announce that the artists will be named international. However, the palace is in great difficulty to convince British stars to come. The Daily Mail suggests that Harry Styles, Elton John and the Spice Girls would have declined the invitation. Ed Sheeran explained to HuffPost that he was not invited. For the jubilee of the 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II, 250,000 spectators were present to attend performances by Diana Ross, Queen or Rod Stewart.
Where to follow the coronation festivities of Charles III live?
The BBC will broadcast the festivities in mondovision. Most major TV channels will switch their usual schedule to cover the coronation and procession of King Charles III. A live stream will of course be available on Linternaute so that you don’t miss anything of this historic event.
Who are the guests at the coronation?
2,000 people were invited to the ceremony. This is 6000 less compared to that of Elizabeth II where Westminster Abbey had to be modified in five months to accommodate 8251 people. The royal family will be almost complete depending on the decision of the couple Harry and Meghan. Other royal figures will move like Prince Albert of Monaco or Prince Fumihito for the Japanese imperial family. Many heads of state should be at the ceremony, as well as major British personalities and certain members of the aristocracy. A notable absentee is already to be noted: it is the President of the United States Joe Biden. The White House has not communicated a reason but insists on the presence of his wife Jill to represent the first world power. Queen Consort Camilla has invited the family from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles. A gesture underlined by the followers of the monarchy as a desire to demonstrate the modernity of the royal family.
How does the coronation take place?
The royal family unveiled the official invitation to the coronation of Charles III on April 5. Here is the official coronation schedule:
- The recognition of the king. The monarch must stand near the coronation pulpit, a seven-century-old piece of furniture. The Archbishop of Canterbury must then present Charles III and the crowd present shouts “God save the King” under the sound of trumpets.
- Charles III must then take the oath to uphold the law and the Church of England.
- The king’s anointing. Her ceremonial dress is removed. He sits in the coronation chair as a golden sheet is held over him to hide him from view. The archbishop applies to the hands, the chest and the head of the king a sacred oil whose recipe is partially secret. It would contain ambergris, orange blossoms, roses, jasmine and cinnamon. The royal palace indicates that the one created for Charles will not contain animal derivatives.
- Investiture: The sovereign is presented with objects including the Royal Orb, representing religious and moral authority; the Scepter, representing power; and the Sovereign’s Scepter, a golden rod surmounted by a white enamelled dove, a symbol of justice and mercy. Finally, the archbishop places the crown of Saint Edward on the king’s head. A delicate moment for Charles III who will have to stay upright with more than two kilos of precious stones on his skull while reading a royal text.
- Investiture and tribute The King rises from the coronation pulpit and takes his place on the throne. Guests kneel before the monarch to pay their respects. The Queen consort will then be similarly anointed and crowned.
Buckingham Palace hopes the coronation will be “a chance for people to come together”. The teams preparing the three days of festivities hope that the figures for the broadcast will not be ridiculous in the face of the stunning figures of 1953 and the coronation of Elizabeth II: 27 million Britons had followed it on television while the country had 36 million people at the time.