After 70 years, Westminster Abbey will crown a new king of Great Britain. In May 2023, when King Charles III takes his throne at age 74, the whole world will be watching. He will be the oldest monarch ever to be crowned. Charles has been waiting a long time for this. His late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was the monarch for the longest time ever. In a ceremony that goes back more than 900 years, Charles follows in the steps of many kings and queens who came before him.
Both a new king and a new queen will be crowned in Great Britain. The coronation will happen over a weekend of celebrations in the country, with all the pomp and show a king deserves. Still, it won’t be the most amazing show ever: Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation was a big event that cost almost $2 million, but Prince Charles’s ascension to the throne is expected to cost less, in part because of the cost of living crisis in the UK.
As we wait for Charles to become king, let’s look at everything we know about the coronation.
What exactly goes on at a coronation?
As the word “coronation” suggests, the coronation is the formal event where a royal is crowned and named the sovereign.
On the royal family’s website, it says, “The coronation ceremony is a time for pomp and celebration, but it is also a solemn religious ceremony that hasn’t changed much in a thousand years.”
As for what a coronation is and how it works, it has a complicated structure. The sovereign, who was usually the king or queen at the time, swears. The way this oath is written and said changes over time to fit the needs of the country and the year. After he takes his oath, King Charles III will sit in King Edward’s chair. The Archbishop then gives the king a holy blessing before he is crowned.
During the anointing, Charles will get holy things like the Royal Orb and two scepters, as the BBC said.
After that, Charles will take his rightful place on the throne, and everyone in the room will kneel out of respect.
It will take place the first weekend of May
The coronation of King Charles III is set for May 6, 2023. Even though Charles officially became king in September 2022, he wasn’t going to be crowned until almost a year later. Queen Elizabeth II died in February, and the country was in mourning for eight months. It’s not unusual for a ceremony to happen a few months after a new monarch takes the throne. Queen Elizabeth II became queen after her father died in February 1952, but she wasn’t officially named queen until June 1953.
People have made guesses about what the ceremony on the sixth day of May means, but the royal family hasn’t said anything about it. Town & Country says there is a theory that the date could have been chosen because it is Prince Archie’s birthday, Princess Margaret’s wedding anniversary, and the day King Edward VII died.
King Charles III’s wife Camilla will be also be crowned
Camilla, who is married to King Charles III, will become queen consort at her own coronation after her husband. When Queen Consort Camilla is crowned, it will be the first time since 1937 that a woman has filled that role. King George VI, who is King Charles’ grandfather, was crowned that year. His wife, Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, who is also Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, was named queen consort. Prince Phillip, who died in 2002, was not crowned after his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned. This is a bit of a break from tradition. The husband of a queen who is in charge is not called a “king consort.” Instead, he is called a “prince consort.” The BBC says that Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned at the same time as her husband, but her ceremony will be less grand.
Camilla’s journey to becoming queen consort has been a very interesting one, and not just because of Princess Diana. “Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy” says that Camilla and Charles’s families go back a long way, but maybe not in the way you might think. Early on in their relationship, Camilla is said to have told Charles, “Your great-great-grandfather had an affair with my great-grandmother.” What happened next is history.
The celebration will last the whole weekend
King Charles III’s coronation is a real party fit for a king, and the United Kingdom will party all weekend long. The actual coronation will happen on a Saturday, and on Sunday, the BBC will air a special concert. There are, of course, a lot of rumors about that concert. The Sun said that the famous British girl group the Spice Girls might appear on the show, but this was not confirmed. Thousands of free tickets to the event are up for grabs through a public ballot for people who live in the country. In an event called “Lighting up the Nation,” projectors and lasers will be used to light up several important buildings after the concert.
The royal presser said that the Coronation Big Lunch, where people come together to honor the monarchy, will also take place on Sunday.
The party invites people from all over England to get together in their own neighborhoods. After the events on May 7, the next Monday is a bank holiday all over the UK. This is to encourage people to take part in the Big Help Out, which is a volunteer-focused event.
It will be held at the historic Westminster Abbey
King Charles III will be crowned in London at Westminster Abbey, just like hundreds of kings and queens before him. The official website says that the gothic church is a very important part of British history because it has been used for coronations for almost a thousand years. Many kings and queens have been crowned there. In 1066, King William the Conqueror was the first person to be crowned there.
The famous gothic church has changed a lot over the years. For example, Edward the Confessor rebuilt it, and then Henry III rebuilt it again. And in 2018, an artist named David Hockney made a window for the building to honor Queen Elizabeth II. The BBC said that Hockney said he made the piece on an iPad. “The iPad is lit from behind like a window, so it’s easy to use,” he said.
Westminster Abbey has been the site of 16 royal weddings, including the one between Prince William and Kate Middleton. There have also been more serious events there, like the funeral of Princess Diana after she died in a tragic accident in 1997.
It won’t be as grand as Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation
Any time Britain gets a new king or queen, it’s a big deal, but King Charles III’s coronation will be a more low-key event. According to the Daily Mail, there will be about 2,000 important people at the big event. This is a lot less than the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which had over 8,000 guests.
The only difference isn’t just the size of the crowd. Charles’ coronation is said to be shorter than his mother’s, which took four hours. Instead, it will only take about an hour. The monarchy is also getting rid of its strict dress code. Instead of wearing ceremonial robes, special guests will be able to come in suits and ties. As for Charles himself, he may choose to wear his military uniform on his special day, it has been said.
A source told the Daily Mail that the King has cut back on a lot of the Coronation because the world has changed in the past 70 years. The decision to cut back on the ceremony came at the same time as a rise in the cost of living in the UK. Someone close to the royal family told Sky News that Charles came up with the idea for the Big Help Out on Monday. The palace hopes that people will not only give back on that day, but also make it a habit. The source said, “It would be a great legacy if people kept doing that work after the big help out.”
It’s unclear whether Prince Harry will go
In 2021, the royal family shocked the world by saying that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would not be working as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex anymore. “While everyone is sad about their decision, The Duke and Duchess are still well-liked family members,” the statement said.
Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke up with the royal family, they haven’t held back. In 2022, the couple told Oprah Winfrey about how the royal family and the British press had made them feel bad. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also talked about their relationship in the Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan,” and in 2023, Prince Harry wrote a tell-all book called “Spare.”
The relationship between Prince Harry and Markle and the royal family is complicated, so it’s not clear if they will show up. Still, there is talk that Harry has not been kicked out of Charles’ coronation. A source close to the royal family told People that the duke and duchess are on the guest list for the big event and that King Charles III would be happy to see his youngest son there. The source told the outlet, “He would like to have Harry back in the family.” “If they don’t figure it out, it will always be a reminder of how the King has broken up his family. He has a reputation for being an absentee parent, and it would be terrible if that kept up.”
King Charles III will wear the St. Edward’s Crown
A king is nothing without his crown. The legendary St. Edward’s Crown will be worn by King Charles III. Because it has such a long history and is so important, the headpiece is only worn by kings and queens when they are crowned. According to Historic Royal Palaces, the crown was made after King Charles I was killed as a replacement, and it has been used for every coronation since then.
Tradition says that when Charles leaves Westminster Abbey after being crowned king, he will also wear the Imperial State Crown. The crown with diamonds and pearls also has its own history. The sapphire in the cross on the crown was worn by St. Edward the Confessor, and the stone was found in his tomb about a hundred years after he died.
It’s not clear what kind of crown Queen Consort Camilla will wear at her own coronation. People says that she has choices, and the most obvious one is the crown made for Charles’ grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, which is called the “Queen Mother crown.” The choice is controversial, though, because the Koh-i-Nûr diamond that is at the center of the piece has been the subject of international debate since The East India Company brought it to London. People says that Camilla could also wear the 200-year-old Queen Adelaide crown, but it’s not likely.
You can be in the ceremony if you have a connection
The royal family wants the public to be a part of the coronation of King Charles, but there is a catch. If you think there’s a simple sign-up sheet that anyone can sign, think again. It’s a little more complicated than that. According to Gov.UK, a person could take part in Charles’ big day if they are a descendant of someone who took part in a previous coronation ceremony. People who fit the description are encouraged to file a claim with the Coronation Claims Office and be considered.
According to a press release, “the Coronation Claims Office will look at things like whether the role or service was done in 1953 or not, what the reason is for doing it now, and how the claimant is related to those who did the role or service before.” The office works with Lambeth Palace and the royal family to evaluate potential participants.
The event has its own playlist
The coronation of King Charles III has been planned down to the last detail, even the music that will be played. The Coronation Celebration Playlist, which was made for Spotify and was inspired by Charles’ ceremony, has nearly two hours of hits.
On the day Charles becomes king, songs like “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay, “Starry Eyed” by Ellie Goulding, and “It’s a Beautiful Day” by Michael Bublé will be played. The Beatles, Harry Styles, George Ezra, The Kinks, The Who, the Spice Girls, and Queen all have songs on the playlist. One notable omission? In 1998, Elton John was made a knight by Queen Elizabeth II. At Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, John also sang his hit song “Candle in the Wind.”
It’s no secret that King Charles likes music. In 2021, he did a special broadcast for the Hospital Broadcasting Association in which he played some of his all-time favorite songs. CNN said that his list included “Upside Down” by Diana Ross, “Don’t Rain on My Parade” by Barbra Streisand, and “Tydi a Roddaist” by Bryn Terfel.
