The coronation of King Charles portrays an ever-growing fascination with power and sovereignty in a West-centric culture. Real life and its best scenography
The coronation to mark the next decades of monarchy
Charles III steps on the medieval mosaic floor, uncovered for this moment and visible for the first time in the history of coronation ceremonies. Ending in the Great Altar where the throne awaits the road symbolizes the passage of the prince to a King. The throne bears the marks of the passing of centuries but is still used for its original purpose while representing an allegory for the British monarchy. Charles III follows in the footsteps of no less than 39 predecessors, in a millennium of coronations. The king took a few hundred steps to the other end of the abbey, where the throne and crown awaited. He passed through Westminster Abbey, stepped through the gilded vestry – considered a masterpiece of English art – and was in the pew, from where the choir sang religious hymns.
The climax was the actual coronation with The Golden Crown of St. Edward, the most important of the Crown Jewels held in the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury. “God Save The King” were the recurrent words marking the sacred ritual. Charles III, dressed in all the symbols of power and with the crown on his head, was presented to the whole congregation as the monarch. This was the moment when the connection between the monarch and God was made portrayed by the change of clothes and royal attire The central part of Westminster Abbey, where the ceremony takes place, is called the “coronation theater” – The area was designed for such important moments. But at the same time, the coronation is also a spectacle dedicated to the public, meant to show the 1000-year history of the British monarchy and the continuity of this institution.
The guests attending the ceremony
Approximately 100 heads of state were present, including monarchs in the office. The first guests to arrive were Nick Cave, Emma Thompson, and Defense Minister Ben Wallace. Tory MP Andrea Leadsom and Bank of England Governor, Andrew Bailey are among the first guests to arrive for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III. Westminster Abbey Choir began a performance led by Singer Nick Cave and actress Dame Emma Thompson, accompanied by her husband Greg Wise. Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, arrived at Westminster Abbey. Sir Chris Whitty, who helped the country through the pandemic, also arrived, according to the BBC. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was chatting with Defense Secretary Ben Wallace as he makes his way to the door of the palace. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, and Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch were accompanying them. As the guests arrive, the Choir of Westminster Abbey began the performance accompanied by the orchestra.
Protesters show up before the event
Six protesters from the Republica anti-monarchy group were arrested while they were unloading a van with placards. The Republican campaigner Luke Whiting declared: “Six members were arrested, including the chief executive, as the demonstration began on the edge of Trafalgar Square”, the activist says, adding that “It is not known exactly if the police are using these new powers abusively to prevent the protests from taking place”.
Lasting over two hours, the coronation ceremony In Westminster Abbey hosted 2,200 guests, a significantly reduced audience compared to the 8,000 guests who attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. The royal family tried to give the moment a more discreet dimension, in keeping with the times. What the “Golden Orb” operation entails since the coronation of Charles III The London police are facing a new challenge in terms of security. Only eight months after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, a large-scale security operation is again being put in place in Britain to ensure that the coronation of King Charles III takes place in good conditions.
Princes Harry and Andrew were stripped of their official roles
At the ceremony, Harry, the youngest son of Charles III at odds with the royal family, and Andrew, the king’s brother already lacking in public engagement, had no official role at the coronation. The Duke of Sussex (Harry) and the Duke of York (Andrew) are no longer active members of the royal family, the former since his voluntary departure from the United States with his wife Meghan in 2020, while the latter fell into disgrace after allegations of sexual assault. If they attended the funeral ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey after her death last September, this time Harry and Andrew didn’t walk behind the royal couple in the ceremony procession. Harry’s wife Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, remained in California, where Harry is set to join them immediately after the coronation to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday.
Joe Biden wasn’t attending the coronation of King Charles III as well. The United States President said he would meet the King in July to discuss specifically about the environment. “We will go to a NATO conference in Europe and I told him that I will stop either on the way out or on the way back, to talk about the subject that interests him the most, the environment”. His wife Jill Biden however participated in the event in a graceful sky-blue dress.
First moments of the coronation
The historic event began with shots of the moment Charles III and Camilla left Clarence House and headed for Westminster Abbey, where the solemn procession started at 10:20 local time. The royal couple chose
to live in Clarence House, the former home of the Queen Mother, Elizabeth, rather than Buckingham Palace, where some works are taking place. To carry them to the palace was the Diamond Jubilee carriage parading to the area where thousands of people have gathered on both sides of The Mall boulevard.
The costs of the event
The ceremony is said to cost around £100 million, despite being a small affair compared to previous coronations and all the costs will be paid by the Government. During the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, Britain was going through a difficult period, trying to recover from the Second World War. Times were so challenging that the population was also faced with food rationing. However, Winston Churchill’s government paid £1.5 million at the time, about £50 million in today’s money, for the Queen’s coronation.
The larger cost difference between the two coronations, although the number of participants is lower today, is attributed to security issues, which weren’t such an indisposable request 70 years ago. On the other hand, The Sun also mentions that access to the event’s television rights and the influx of tourists are bringing enough money to the state treasury.
The relevance of monarchy today
In the midst of an inflationary crisis, the organization of such an expensive ceremony displeases some Britons. In fact, the monarchy is in a period of transition, and from this point of view, Charles’ reign will not be an easy one. Before the coronation, a YouGov survey, commissioned by the BBC Panorama program, showed that only 58% of Britons still support the monarchy, while 26% would like an elected head of state.
The waters part when we look at the age of people who support the monarchy: the biggest supporters are in the over 65 categories, while the 18-24 category had the lowest level of support for the monarchy. Moreover, young people seem rather indifferent to the issues of the monarchy, with most saying that they are not interested in the Royal Family. The study carried out by YouGov showed that the main dissatisfaction is related to the wealth of the Royal Family, in the context in which most Britons are going through difficult times.
The personal wealth of King Charles, which includes cars, jewelry, investments, or the inheritance received from Queen Elizabeth, is estimated by the British publication The Guardian at 1.8 billion pounds. Journalists state that most of the monarch’s wealth is not made public so the exact value cannot be known, and the British Royal House refused to confirm the figures obtained by them.
Dressing for the history
King Charles and Queen Camilla wore a mix of centuries-old clothing and new pieces. The king will wear several historical robes during the ceremony, steeping in traditions dating back 1,000 years. The order and importance of his robes are detailed in the Liber Regalis, or Royal Book, which is a 14th-century manuscript that serves as the official guide to coronation ceremonies, according to Westminster Abbey.
Charles III entered the Abbey wearing the robe of state, made of crimson velvet and worn by Charles’ grandfather, King George VI, at his coronation in 1937. This robe is also called the Robe of Parliament, as it is worn by the monarch for the official opening of the Parliament. “The Royal School of Stockwork preserved the velvet, while the lining and gold lace were preserved by Ede and Ravenscroft, London’s oldest tailor and dressmaker,” reported People. Before the anointing of the king – considered the most sacred part of the ceremony – he put on the Colobium Sindonis, a simple white tunic that symbolizes “purity before God”.
The transition to King is made through clothing
The Colobium Sindonis is covered by the full-length, gold-embroidered Supertunic, which was made for the coronation of King George V in 1911. It has since been worn by King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth in 1953. Above the Supertunic came the Robe Royal and Stole Royal. The Robe Royal (also known as the Imperial Robe) is a gold robe originally made in 1821 for the coronation of King George IV, according to the Royal Collection Trust. “Its design is based on a priest’s robe and features foliage, crowns, fleur-de-lys, and eagles, with colorful roses, thistles, and shamrocks to be found throughout,” according to People. “The gold zipper is shaped like an eagle. It is the oldest robe in the Coronation collection and most likely to have been worn as is by the king.” The Stole Royal is a narrow band of gold silk made for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. It is embroidered with national, religious, and Commonwealth emblems in both gold and colored threads.
Qween Camilla’s dress
During the closing procession, the Robe Royal and Stole Royal are removed and replaced by the Imperial Robe, also known as the Robe of Estate. This robe is made of crimson velvet, unlike the crimson color worn during the King’s entry. Qween Camilla chose Bruce Oldfield to design her coronation dress, according to The Telegraph. Camila’s robe of state, which she wore when she arrived at the Abbey is made of purple velvet and was originally made for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. The crimson velvet Robe of Estate, which she wore as she left the Abbey, was made especially for her by Ede and Ravenscroft and was designed and hand-embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.
The Jewels of the Crown and their significance
Both the King and Queen received several Crown Jewels during the ceremony, including the Sovereign’s Ring, which the King now wears on the fourth finger of his right hand as a symbol of “royal dignity”. It was made in 1831 for King William IV and features an octagonal sapphire set with both rubies and diamonds. Similarly, the Queen was presented with the Queen Consort’s ring, also placed on the fourth finger of her right hand and also dating from 1831, when it was created for Queen Adelaide. It features an octagonal ruby surrounded by 14 diamonds and has been worn by every queen consort since the coronation of Edward VII in 1902.
The “Coronation Jewels” played an important role in King Charles’s coronation ceremony, as they did in his mother’s. The king wore two crowns and appeared before the people with the two scepters and the orb representing his earthly and religious power.
The Coronation Spoon and Amphora
Both objects are small in size, but they play an essential role. The coronation spoon was used in the most important part of the coronation ceremony, the anointing. With this, a small quantity of oil was taken out, in which the Archbishop of Canterbury moistened two fingers and made the cross sign on the hands, chest, and forehead of the king.
The golden eagle amphora belongs to the coronation trousseau and is filled with sacred oil from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The moment when the archbishop anointed the king was the most intimate moment, an exchange between the king and his people in the eyes of God, which is why it took place under a golden canopy.
Crown of St. Edward
Two crowns were used for King Charles’ ceremony. The most important was the coronation crown of Saint Edward. It was created in 1661 to replace an old medieval crown that was cast by members of Parliament in 1649 during the Civil War. The original crown is believed to date from the 11th century and was commissioned by Edward the Confessor, which is why it is called St Edward’s Crown. The coronation chair was the centerpiece of the ceremony and is the same chair that has been used for the past 700 years. The chair that King Charles III sits on dates from 1301 and was commissioned for King Edward I.
It is decorated with designs of birds, foliage, and animals in gold leaf. The chair is one of the most important symbols of the monarchy, but it was also used by the dictator Oliver Cromwell. But this chair keeps a secret. It was built to house a very precious object. It is about the so-called “crowning stone” or “stone of destiny”. It is a very old stone, weighing about 150 kilograms, being a symbol of the Scottish monarchs. It is said to have been stolen by King Edward I in 1296 from Scone Abbey as part of the spoils of one of the many clashes between the English and the Scots. Kings sat on this stone until a wooden seat was built in the 17th century.
On Christmas Day 1950, four Scottish students attempted to steal the stone, causing the border between Scotland and England to be closed for the first time in 400 years. The stone was officially returned to Scotland in 1996 and is at Edinburgh Castle, but will be sent to London for the ceremony. Also, several commemorative pieces were presented for this historic moment, this time the Palace presenting new official tableware.
Coronation Hall
London’s Westminster Abbey is where every king has been crowned since 1066. It has also been the site of 16 royal weddings. The first coronation took place in 1066 when Harold II of England was crowned. He had invaded England two months earlier and it was important for him to be known as the legitimate successor of Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
Charles III. Before becoming a king
Charles III was four years old when he was present in Westminster Abbey at his mother’s coronation. Born on November 14, 1948, King Charles is 74 years old and since 1952 has held numerous peerages in Great Britain. Charles III is the first British monarch to go to school, all his predecessors having been educated by private tutors. At the same time, he is very passionate about sports. In the past, he skied, surfed, dived, rode polo, and was a jockey.
Charles is passionate about the arts and William Shakespeare, from whose works he quoted several times after succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to the throne. He is well known for his environmental campaigns. Britain’s King Charles III has a personal fortune that has exceeded two billion euros (£1.8 billion). He was married between 1981 and 1996 to Lady Diana Spencer, and since 2005 he has been married to Camilla Parker Bowles. King Charles III has two children, Prince William, and Prince Harry.
