A happy man. This is how we saw King Carlos III who, for the first time in his 74 years, has shone with his own light. “A little late” will say those who overestimate youth. “A rebirth” will say those who think that neither age nor beauty are essential for success.
It was exactly 71 years and two months that Carlos had to wait to be crowned as king. From the very day his grandfather, King George VI, died and Elizabeth II was crowned queen, he became a crouching prince waiting to inherit the throne. An occasion that he knew would be bittersweet because it was the consequence of a tragic event: the death of his mother. That’s why yesterday was such a special day.
King Charles III of Great Britain and Camilla, the Queen Consort of Great Britain, begin their journey in the Carriage / Oli Scarff / AFP
We cannot ensure that the late queen would have been proud of her son. She who always struggled not to show her feelings in public will have been annoyed from beyond when she saw that the new king did not try to hide them. On Friday he started it with pure laughter with the public that came to greet him. Then, at the reception at the palace and with photographers capturing every moment, he laughed out loud with Prince Frederick of Denmark, complimented Princess Charlene of Monaco and was seen chatting animatedly with everyone in attendance.
Very different was her face yesterday when the great day of the coronation ceremony had arrived. Her grim gesture was interspersed with fatigue, fear and restlessness. At times he is also proud and, when looking at his wife, joy. A rise and fall of emotions that showed him close and vulnerable.
King Charles III of Great Britain with the Crown of Saint Edward on his head attends the Ceremony inside the Abbey / Yui Mok / AFP
As planned, at 10:20 (London time) on Saturday, May 6, Carlos and Camila began their tour from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. It was raining heavily, something usual in those lands but which Queen Elizabeth was lucky enough to avoid every time she organized a large event outdoors. There was no shortage of “haters” on the networks who claimed that Diana, from heaven, had orchestrated revenge. Everything is possible but Carlos and Camila are unbreakable.
Everyone was cheering for the kings. At least in the two kilometers they traveled. Because a few blocks from there, in Trafalgar Square, and under the motto “Not my King” the young radicals and anti-monarchists met, dressed entirely in yellow, to fight for the abolition of the monarchy. The Duke of Sussex, was not among them although he sometimes seems that he wants it. Harry, finally, went without Meghan and entered the Abbey with his cousins and her presence passed unnoticed since he did not participate in any other act.
The anti-monarchists will have a hard time because Carlos laid the foundations for continuity by choosing his 9-year-old grandson Jorge as one of the pages who, when descending on the Abbey, wore the tail of his ermine cape. The little prince already knows that some day more or less distant he will be the one to be crowned.
Archbishop Justin Welby places a modified version of Queen Mary’s Crown on Camilla’s head / Richard Pohle / AFP
Carlos and Camila arrived at the western gate to Westminster Abbey but the rain and some problem in the car of the princes of Wales made them delayed for a few minutes. The sodden hallway made Camila’s entrance not the most elegant. She had to pick up her knee-length immaculate white dress and her ladies had to hold her cloak so that they both arrived more or less clean.
How many times has Carlos dreamed of that journey from the door to the altar of the Abbey? Judging by the satisfaction on his face, he would not have always been convinced of achieving it either.
The ceremony was tedious and exaggerated for some and too light for those who like pomp and circumstance, but the changes that Carlos introduced are very welcome in these times when concord is necessary. The coronation is a religious ceremony because the king is the head of the church of England. But there are not only Anglicans in his kingdom, so for the first time there was the presence of Catholic and Orthodox priests and a tribute to the Jewish people. And the big moment was when Rishi Sunak, the prime minister who professes Hinduism, read a part of the Bible.
The king’s family, gathered at the coronation. Some ahead and others behind / Aaron Chown / AP
After the oath came the anointing, a ceremony in which Carlos, hidden behind screens and seated on the coronation throne, was stripped of his ceremonial clothing and blessed with oil brought from Jerusalem. This is the first of three changes of clothing and throne that the king would have.
The wooden throne dates back to the Middle Ages and is where generations of kings have sat to be crowned. But… as kings of England. And Scotland? For Charles to also be crowned King of Scotland, the 152-kilo “Stone of Scone” representing that country has been attached to the throne.
The British royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, receiving the jubilation of the public / AFP
The most important moment of the ceremony is the delivery of royalties. They are sacred and secular objects that symbolize the values on which the king should be based to govern: the spurs represent chivalry, the swords and the scepter mean temporal and spiritual justice, mercy and royal power; the bracelets, sincerity and wisdom, and the ring dignity. The orb, which signifies earthly power, was on this occasion and at the request of the king, carried to the altar by a nurse as a tribute to all the members of the national health service. And finally, the crown of San Eduardo was placed on him, which gives meaning to this whole ceremony.
A royal fan poses for a photo as she lined up on the “King’s Parade” route, over a two-kilometre stretch / Paul Childs / AFP
The most emotional moment was experienced when the Prince of Wales swore allegiance to his father on behalf of all “people of good will” as the liturgy says. At this point and after the two kisses and the words of his son, Guillermo, we saw how Carlos had a hard time holding back his tears.
People stop the Coronation flyover in the Mall after the ceremony / Joshua Bratt / AP
The coronation of Queen Camila followed, as planned. Rivers of ink were written about whether Camila was going to be queen or not. Until yesterday it was speculated that she would never be crowned. Camila, whatever she does, will always be the villain of the story but, without being the most popular of the monarchy, in England she is respected and the good influence she has on Carlos is valued, who seems happy and calm when he is with her. The solution was perfect. Her coronation was reduced to a few minutes, almost like a solemn process in which, furthermore, she did not feel comfortable at all. She couldn’t hide the terror she felt when the archbishop placed her crown on him or how upset she was with it on his head. Carlos was already exhausted and Camila, scared but after not having been close to him throughout the ceremony, when they looked at each other and joined together to leave the Abbey, the magic returned. Smiles, tranquility and complicity on their faces. Once in the golden carriage, the one that took them back, already crowned, to Buckingham Palace, all the pieces of the puzzle fit together again. A lifetime waiting for this moment.
From these pages we join the proclamation that the attendees present at the Abbey shouted with enthusiasm. Long live King Carlos III! Long live the king!
