The coronation of Charles III. and his wife Camilla is meticulously planned. In preparation, the palace announces new details every day. An overview of recent announcements.
London – The countdown is on: Until the coronation of King Charles III. and Queen Camilla will not last a week. Streets and shops across the country will be decorated with British flags, and more than 3,000 street festivals are planned in England alone.
In the village of Hurst, near Reading, members of the Hurst Hookers knitting and crocheting group make royal figures or crowns for post box decorations. Buckingham Palace is releasing more and more details about the course of the historic ceremony on May 6th.
A coronation with many innovations
There will be many firsts around the coronation in London’s Westminster Abbey. The call to everyone in the United Kingdom to loudly swear allegiance to the monarch caused a stir.
At the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the participants in the service, but also the millions on the screen, should say: “I swear true allegiance to Her Majesty and to your heirs and successors according to the law. So help me God.” This “tribute of the people” replaces the traditional oath of allegiance that nobles and clergymen otherwise professed to the monarch.
Opponents of the monarchy have criticized the plans. “In a democracy, it should be the head of state who swears allegiance to the people, not the other way around,” said Republic’s Graham Smith.
For the first time at a coronation, representatives of other religions take on important roles. Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh clerics will deliver a joint greeting to the king, and members of the religions will hand him the insignia. This symbolizes Charles’ deep-rooted belief in promoting unity between different faiths and his commitment to interfaith dialogue.
Also for the first time, languages from the rest of the UK will be heard at the service as the hymn ‘Veni creator spiritus’ (Come, Creator Spirit) is sung in Welsh, Scottish and Irish Gaelic in addition to English. In addition, the litany “Kyrie eleison” sounds in Welsh – Charles, as heir to the throne, was known as the Prince of Wales for decades and learned the language before his appointment in 1969.
Special robes and a hidden ceremony part
Also new is Queen Camilla’s “coronational robe”. The royal couple traditionally wears two different robes to the ceremony – one on arrival at Westminster Abbey and one on the way back to Buckingham Palace.
While Charles wore the robes of his grandfather King George VI. from his coronation in 1937 and Camilla wears a robe worn by her mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II from 1953 on the way there, she wears the specially tailored garment made of violet velvet as the “Imperial Robe”. Incorporated insects and flowers refer to the natural and environmental themes dear to Charles and Camilla. Also shown are the national symbols for England (rose), Scotland (thistle) and Ireland (shamrock).
The “anointing screen” (literally: anointing screen) was also specially made, with which the anointing of the monarch is protected from looks and cameras. This central part of the ceremony is considered the monarch’s personal moment with God.
The archbishop touches the king with consecrated oil in the shape of a cross on his hands, chest and head. The three-sided and 2.6 meter high protection shows a tree with 56 leaves embroidered with the names of the 56 members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Charles’s monogram at the root symbolizes that the monarch is a servant of his peoples.
The throne chairs are not new. For reasons of sustainability, seating from previous coronations would be used, the palace said. They have been restored and adjusted. Only the monograms of Charles and Camilla were added.
After the coronation is before the celebration
A concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday evening features stars including Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. The stage is modeled after the British flag with catwalks in several directions, as was revealed today.
The BBC announced more participants over the weekend: Hollywood star Tom Cruise and the animal cartoon character “Winnie-the-Pooh” should also play a role. This raises expectations that there could be a scene similar to that at the jubilee concert for Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022, when the Queen met for tea for a much acclaimed video sketch with the animated Paddington bear.
Prince Harry is traveling alone
The preparations are overshadowed by the ongoing dispute with Charles’ younger son Prince Harry. The 38-year-old, who together with his wife, Duchess Meghan, had made serious allegations against stepmother Camilla and brother William, travels alone to the coronation from the USA, where he lives.
As the newspaper “Sun on Sunday” reported, Harry will fly back immediately after the ceremony in Westminster Abbey. Son Archie turns four on the same day. In the traditional greeting of the Royal Family from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, there would be no place for him anyway. After all, in the London tourist attraction Madam Tussauds, Harry is getting closer to the family again: his wax figure has been temporarily placed next to those of Charles and Camilla. dpa
