The coronation rites of King Carlos III (and how different it will be from previous coronations)

A ceremony of more than 1,000 years full of rites, symbols and pomp will take place this May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London to crown the King Charles III.

The last coronation that took place in the United Kingdom was that of Elizabeth II 70 years ago.

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Your son Carlosthen a 4-year-old boy, was visibly bored at the ceremony, the first to be broadcast on television.

his coronation It won’t be as long as your mother’s, but yes equally lavish. While the coronation of Elizabeth II lasted three hours, that of Carlos III is expected to last for 90 minutes.

Some are expected to attend 2,000 people to the ceremonyincluding 100 heads of state, members of the British government and guests from other royal houses.

The total cost of the celebration is unknown at the moment, but critics of the monarchy point out that millions of dollars will be allocated.

Thousands filled the streets for Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. (UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE).

the first procession

Procession of King Charles III towards Westminster Abbey.

The day will begin with a procession in which Charles III and Queen Camilla will move from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in a majestic carriage drawn by six horses, old in appearance but with modern comforts such as heating, air conditioning and electric windows.

Diamond Jubilee State Carriage.

The king and queen will be joined by the heir to the crown, Prince William, his wife, Kate, and their children.

The procession, which will pass through iconic London landmarks such as Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square, will be escorted by several regiments of the royal guard dressed in full dress uniforms.

Royal Guard uniforms.

Upon reaching the west gate of the abbey, the kings will proceed in solemn procession to their thrones, in front of the high altar.

There Carlos III and Camila will be preceded by dignitaries who will carry the royal insignia, symbols of the monarchy.

High Altar in Westminster Abbey.

What are the main insignia of the ceremony?

Several valuable objects will appear during the coronation ceremony of Carlos III. These are some of the most iconic.

St Edward’s Crown: a rich goldsmith work of more than 300 years, which is a symbol of the power and dignity of the monarch as head of state.

Crown of Saint Edward.

the golden spurs: symbols of honor and courage, virtues associated with medieval knights.

The sovereign’s ring: emblem of royal dignity.

Among the symbols of the monarch are also six swords:

Among Camila’s insignia are the scepter and wand of the queen consort, the ring and a silver and gold crown encrusted with 2,200 diamonds.

Once the monarch and his consort arrive at the coronation scene, located in front of the main altar, the rites of the ceremony that consists of 5 parts will begin: acknowledgment, oath, anointing, investiture (including coronation), and enthronement and homage.

Recognition

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of the Church of England, Justin Welby, and three other dignitaries ask the audience if they recognize Charles as their monarch.

It will be then when the public responds to the famous phrase “God save King Carlos”.

The oath

The king swears to uphold the laws of the United Kingdom and the domains and territories of which he is sovereign, as well as uphold the Church of England’s status as the state religion.

Objects used in the ceremony.

The anointing, the secret moment that no one can see

This is the holiest part of the ceremony in which Charles III is crowned head of the Church of England.

The king takes off his ceremonial robe and sits on the coronation chaira wooden throne made in the 1300s by order of King Edward I.

Throne of Saint Edward.

Under the chair will be the destiny stonea rock on which the kings of Scotland sat.

A screen is placed around the monarch so that nobody can see it, because the moment of anointing is considered so sacred that it should not have witnesses.

The Dean of Westminster will pour chrism oilor sacred oil, from the ampulla, a container in the shape of a golden eagle, to the coronation spoon, dating from the 12th century.

A fun fact about this spoon is that it is the only major royal regalia to survive the destruction ordered by Oliver Cromwell’s government in 1649.

Coronation vessel and spoon.

The archbishop will anoint Carlos III, making the sign of the cross on his hands, chest and head.

a different oil

The anointing oil was extracted from olives from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and was consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Anglican Archbishop of that city in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The oil is often scented with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli (obtained from orange blossom), benzoin, amber, and orange blossom.

But this time, for Carlos III, a monarch who has dedicated part of his work to defending the environment, the mix will be different.

The traditional formula that includes products of animal origin such as ambergris, which is obtained from the viscera of the sperm whale and an extract from the glands of the civet, has not been used.

After the anointing, the king will be dressed in the colobium sindonis, shroud robe in Latin, a sleeveless piece of white linen symbolizing the presentation of the sovereign in all simplicity before God.

About him colobium sindonis, a golden brocade cloak known as a supertunic will be placed on him. It is a form of priestly cloak that symbolizes that the monarch has been consecrated before God and at his service.

investiture and coronation

Inside Westminster Abbey.

This is the climax of the ceremony, when the king will be crowned.

First, the monarch receives the royal regalia.

And then the Archbishop of Canterbury brings st edward’s crown from the altar and places it on the head of the monarch.

The crown is solid 22 karat gold. inlaid with precious stones. It dates from 1661 and weighs more than two kilograms.

Enthronement and homage

In this final part, the king sits on his throne to receive an oath of allegiance known as homage.

Traditionally this oath corresponded to the high clergy, the heir to the crown, the dukes of the royal house and the principal peers of each noble title.

For the coronation of Carlos III, the rite was modified. Only the Archbishop of Canterbury, Prince William and the public present at the abbey will pay tribute.

The coronation of Camila, the queen consort

At Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, her husband, Prince Philip, was not crowned.

But this Saturday Camila, the wife of King Carlos, will receive her crown as queen consort.

And it is that the tradition of British royalty establishes that the wives of the monarchs are crowned, but not the men married to the queens.

Camila will be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury only on the forehead and, unlike King Carlos, this will be in full view.

After the anointing, he will receive the queen’s ring, a symbol of royal dignity, and two scepters that symbolize equity and mercy.

Next, the primate of the Church of England will put Queen Mary’s crownmade in 1911 for the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

Crown of Queen Mary.

Earlier this year, the royal house announced that Camila will not be crowned with the crown of the queen mother of Elizabeth II, which has been the subject of controversy for being associated with the colonial history of the United Kingdom.

One of your most valuable jewels, Koh-i-Noor diamond is claimed in India.

The Imperial State Crown

After the rites, the King and Queen will retire briefly to the Chapel of St. Edward, behind the high altar.

There, Carlos III will change his clothes and the Imperial State Crown will be placed, which has sentimental value for the monarch as it is the same crown that was placed on the coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.

Imperial State Crown on the coffin of Elizabeth II in September 2022. (GETTY IMAGES).

Differences with other coronations

Carlos III has said that wants his coronation to represent the values ​​of today’s UKa country of different ethnicities and religions, very different from that of 1952, the year his mother ascended the throne.

For this, the ceremony has been modified, in which traditionally the main roles correspond to the aristocracy.

These are some of the changes:

Women, people from ethnic minorities and leaders of non-Christian religions will have some of the ceremonial roles formerly held by noblemen, most of whom were not invited.

Given the limited space of the abbey, priority was given to individuals who have been decorated by the monarchy for their benefit to society.

The rite of the oath: Amended to include the Anglican Church’s promise to foster an environment in which people of all denominations and beliefs can live freely.

Music: for the first time in a coronation a gospel and a song in the Welsh language will be heard.

the king’s clothing: It is not expected to see a king dressed as in previous coronations with short pants but will wear a military uniform.

Greetings from the balcony of Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace balcony in 1953.

Following the ceremony at the abbey, the crowned kings will return to Buckingham Palace in a second procession in the traditional golden carriage used by British monarchs at coronations.

Procession of King Carlos III towards Buckingham.

The carriagemade in the 18th century, is covered with gold leaf or thin sheets of this metal.

Gold State Carriage.

The king and queen will be greeted with military honors at Buckingham Palace and will then step out onto the central balcony with family members to watch an air parade.

They will finish with the traditional greeting that will close a historic day in the United Kingdom.

Source: Elcomercio