The United Kingdom is preparing for three days of festivities to celebrate the coronation of Charles III.
After a religious ceremony on May 6, rooted in the monarchical tradition but which the king wanted to modernize a little, the United Kingdom will experience three days of festivities to celebrate the coronation of Charles III.
This historic day will begin with the “King’s Procession” which will join Westminster Abbey in a carriage from Buckingham Palace over a course of approximately two kilometers.
The ceremony itself is due to start at 11 a.m. local time (10 a.m. GMT) and last around two hours under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Anglican Church.
Tradition intangible
Embellished with musical works from the classical repertoire but also more modern compositions, it is supposed to “reflect the role of the monarch today and look to the future, while being rooted in historical traditions and pageantry”. depending on the palace.
Even if Charles III, 74, wanted a simpler and shorter service than that of Queen Elizabeth II, in front of an audience of guests limited to two thousand people (foreign leaders, crowned heads, elected officials, civil society), certain stages are intangible.
Once entered the Abbey, the king will be introduced and acclaimed by the audience before he takes the oath. This coronation oath, written in 1688, has had variations over the centuries. Elizabeth II had for example sworn to govern “according to their laws” the people of the United Kingdom and the 14 other countries over which the Crown reigns and to defend the Anglican religion of which the monarch is the supreme head.
Break with tradition
The ceremony provides for some breaks with tradition: for the first time the king will say a short prayer aloud, representatives of other cults will take an active role in it, while the queen will receive the anointing in full view of all and portions of the service will be spoken in Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic.
Then, the king, seated on King Edward’s chair which covers the “stone of destiny” brought specially from Scotland, will receive the anointing with oil from the archbishop, then the royal attributes: the royal robe, the orb (a gold globe surmounted by a cross), the scepter and the crown of Saint-Edouard which will be placed on the sovereign’s head. Members of the royal family will pay homage to him.
The king and queen Camilla, also crowned during the ceremony, will leave in a carriage for the “Coronation procession” towards Buckingham, accompanied this time by a procession of nearly four thousand soldiers in ceremonial clothes. The royal family will finally appear on the balcony of the palace to greet the crowd and watch the Royal Air Force planes fly over.
Relatives
Several members of the royal family will have a role to play during the ceremony while some, like Prince Harry, present without his wife Meghan, or his uncle Prince Andrew, in withdrawal after a sex scandal, should only be spectators.
Charles thus chose his four pages among his relatives, including his grandson Prince George, nine years old, second in the order of succession to the throne, or the young son of Edward Tollemache, godson of the king.
Queen Consort Camilla wanted to include her family from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles. Three of his grandchildren, Gus, Louis and Freddy, will be among the pages accompanying him, along with his little nephew Arthur.
Prolonged weekend
In addition to the ceremony, the United Kingdom is preparing to experience three days of celebration around the coronation, even if the craze is still not very perceptible in the country.
On Sunday, the population is invited to share a “big lunch” through neighborhood parties and with the “coronation quiche” on the menu, the recipe for which was unveiled in mid-April by the palace.
In the evening, a concert will take place at Windsor Castle, west of London, which 10,000 randomly selected Britons will be able to attend. Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, tenor Andrea Bocelli or pianist Lang Lang will headline a bill marked by the absence of British stars.
Finally, the royal family calls on the British to do volunteer work on Monday, May 8, a bank holiday.
