King Charles will be crowned at London’s Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. Here is a visual guide to Britain’s first coronation for 70 years.
The coronation of King Charles and his wife Camilla as queen takes
place on May 6, 2023. It is the centrepiece of a weekend of events
for 74-year-old Charles, who ascended to the throne on September 8,
2022, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
Westminster Abbey in central London, the setting for the coronation,
has been paramount for Britain’s royal family for nearly a 1,000
years.
The day begins with the “King’s Procession” – 2km (1.3-mile) trip
from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee
State Coach. The route includes Parliament Square, Whitehall,
Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards Parade and the Mall. After they
have been crowned, the king and queen return to the palace in the
Gold State Coach in a larger ceremonial “Coronation Procession”.
At the palace, Charles and Camilla will be joined by family
members on the balcony to conclude the day’s events.
Built in Australia and first used by Queen Elizabeth in 2014, the
Diamond Jubilee State Coach (pictured) is the newest coach in the
Royal Stables. It has air conditioning and electric windows, and
is prevented from swaying by six hydraulic stabilisers.
For the best part of a thousand years, the kings and queens of
England and Britain have been crowned at London’s Westminster
Abbey in a ceremony that has changed little throughout the
centuries. There have been 38 monarchs crowned at the Abbey –
Edward V, one of two young princes believed to have been murdered
in the Tower of London in the 15th Century, and Edward VIII, who
abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, were not
crowned. British coronations comprise five main parts: the
recognition, the oath, the anointing, the investiture, and the
homage. The service at Westminster Abbey begins at 11am local
time. It will be significantly smaller than the last one, with
about 2,200 guests. Queen Elizabeth’s ceremony in 1953 had 8,250
attendees.
Recognition
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, presents the new king
to the people and invites them to say: “God Save King Charles”.
Oath
King Charles takes an oath to uphold the law and the Church of
England.
Anointing
Wearing a plain white linen robe, the monarch sits in the
coronation chair as he is anointed with holy oil. The ceremony
will also feature a silver cross containing shards said by the
Vatican to be from the cross used to crucify Jesus Christ.
