Former Elf chief executive Justin Welby is the man who crowns Charles

The coronation haunts Justin Welby even in his sleep. In a recurring dream, the Archbishop of Canterbury finds himself face to face with the king in Westminster Abbey and realizes he has “forgotten” the crown: “This ceremony gives me nightmares,” he admitted, laughing at the television. He is an atypical character, holding the position of spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans in the world. At 67, he faces the arduous task of being master of ceremonies on this historic day, the apotheosis of late conversion.

The father of five Justin Welby has been in business for a long time. Treasurer of the Elf Aquitaine company, this French speaker lived for several years in France, where he still owns a house in Normandy. In the late 1980s, he decided to dedicate his life to God and became a man of faith like no other. The prelate spoke publicly of his personal anguish (he lost his eldest daughter, then 7 months old, in a traffic accident in France in 1983). Subject to anxiety, he takes antidepressants, which allow him, in his words, to remain a “more or less balanced” person.

A man far from palace intrigues

This open-mindedness should not antagonize Charles, who would ask him to play middlemen with Prince Harry. The two men are still closer to prepare the day of May 6th. In Welby, the king finds an unselfish trusted man, far from palace intrigues, as well as an intellectual to argue with.

Attached to his father Philip’s Greek Orthodox background and fascinated by Islam, Charles always posed as a champion of “these” religions. However, by definition, the king must defend the Anglican faith alone, as his mother did. The controversy seems to be over.

For the first time in the history of coronations, representatives of the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh faiths will play a symbolic role during the ceremony. The cord-adjustable ceremony leaves no room for surprises: Justin Welby’s only concern will be to pose without trembling — at the risk of dropping — the heavy (2.2 kg) crown of St. Edward on the king’s head.