King Charles’ coronation: Timing, oath, guests, cost of ceremony and more

International

oi-Prakash KL

The world is going to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event on Saturday as Prince Charles III will officially be coroneted as the head of Monarch or the King of the United Kingdom.

It is the first coronation in the last 70 years and this ceremony, also known as Operation Golden Orb and will formalize Charles III as the King of the United Kingdom.

The coronation serves as a religious ceremony in which the monarch is anointed with holy oil and crowned with a symbolic crown, followed by a procession and other formal events. It is also a moment of national celebration, welcoming the new King on the highest order.

Check Timings
King Charles will be coroneted at Westminster Abbey, the same place every British monarch has been crowned for over 900 years. The much-awaited ceremony will take place at 11 am London time (7 am EST, 1 am PST and 4.30 IST). He will be crowned at 12 pm and the ceremony will end at 1 pm. The Archbishop of Canterbury will administer the Coronation Oath, a legal obligation that will be framed in the form of questions to the monarch.

Netizens can catch all the action on all major news broadcasters or also on various YouTube channels live online.

The Procession
Charles and Camilla will arrive at Westminster Abbey in procession from Buckingham Palace, known as ‘The King’s Procession’ in the 3 tonnes-weighing Diamond Jubilee State Coach. The Diamond Jubilee State Coach is an air-conditioned carriage which is typically reserved for the sovereign and sometimes used alongside a visiting head of state. It is pulled by six Windsor Grey horses, adding to the grandeur of the occasion.

The Australian-built Diamond Jubilee State Coach is the newest of the royal carriages, the BBC reported. This looks traditional, but is actually modern, with electric windows and up-to-date suspension. “It’s made of aluminium, which is quite unusual, because most of them are made of wood, and it’s also got hydraulic suspension, meaning that the ride is incredibly comfortable,” says Sally Goodsir, curator at the Royal Collection Trust.

The gilded crown on the top of the Diamond Jubilee State Coach was carved from oak from HMS Victory.

The coach’s interior is inlaid with samples of woods, metals and other materials from buildings and places with specific connections to Britain and its history; Royal Residences including Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse; cathedrals including St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey; and historic ships, such as the Mary Rose. The coach will be drawn by six Windsor Greys.

After the Service, they will return to Buckingham Palace in a larger ceremonial procession, known as ‘The Coronation Procession’. They will be joined in this procession by other Members of the Royal Family.

At Buckingham Palace, The King and The Queen Consort, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will appear on the balcony to conclude the day’s ceremonial events.

What will the King and Queen wear for the ceremony?
For the coronation ceremony, King Charles III is set to wear the crimson robe of state previously worn by King George VI, while Queen Consort Camilla will be dressed in the crimson robe of state worn by Queen Elizabeth II.

Recommended Video

How much is King Charles III’s Coronation going to cost & who will pay for it? | Oneindia News

The Oath
Upon entering the abbey, Welby will lead a call for the assembled dignitaries and senior royal household staff members to recognize the sovereign and acclaim the king, pledging their loyalty or homage.

Subsequently, Charles will be required to take the coronation oath, which has been a legal obligation since 1689 when King William and Queen Mary were compelled to promise to uphold the Protestant faith. In that same year, Parliament passed a law that prohibits any Catholic from ascending to the throne, a rule that remains in effect to this day.

The Anointing
Once the coronation oath has been administered, King Charles will sit in the coronation chair, a relic that dates back to its first use in the coronation of King Edward II in 1308, and receive anointing, blessings and consecration from Welby.

This act of anointing is derived from the biblical anointing of King Solomon, and therefore imbued with profound religious significance, much like a baptism. The oil used in this anointing ritual is composed of olives harvested from two monasteries on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, where Jesus is believed to have prayed before his crucifixion.

However, despite millions of people watching worldwide, the ceremony will be obscured from view by a screen, as it is traditionally held that the only witnesses should be the king, the archbishop and God.

Charles will disrobe from his crimson robes and any jewelry, donning a simple robe for the anointing ceremony where the archbishop will pour oil on his head, hands, and chest while saying the words, “So be you anointed, blessed and consecrated King over the Peoples, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee to rule and govern.”

Once he receives the crown jewels, orb, and scepters, Archbishop Welby will place the St Edward’s Crown on Charles’ head. This crown, made of a 4.9-pound solid gold frame, features a collection of rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topazes, and tourmaline gemstones, emphasizing its magnificence. The same crown was worn by Elizabeth during her coronation and has been altered to fit her son.

Finally, at the end of the ceremony, Charles will switch to the lighter Imperial State Crown for the procession back to the palace, while gun salutes are fired from locations across Britain both on land and sea.

Guests
The Coronation Service will be attended by a congregation of more than 2,200 people. Guests attending will include Members of the Royal Family, as well as international representatives from 203 countries, including approximately 100 Heads of State, alongside community and charity champions.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Philippines’s President Ferdinand Marcos, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany, Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella, India’s Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and China’s Vice President Han Zheng are attending the event.

US President Joe Biden has sent his wife Jill Biden to represent the United States at Saturday’s coronation of King Charles III.

British PM Sunak to read from biblical book at King Charles III’s Coronation
Rishi Sunak will read from the biblical book of Colossians at the Coronation of King Charles III in keeping with the recent tradition of British Prime Ministers giving readings at State occasions.

Sunak, Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage and a practicing Hindu, reading from a biblical book will resonate with the multi-faith theme being struck for the Christian ceremony.

Lambeth Palace, the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury – Reverend Justin Welby, said that members of other faith traditions will play an active role in the service for the first time. “The Archbishop of Canterbury has selected a new Epistle for this Coronation, which will be Colossians 1:9-17. This passage has been chosen to reflect the theme of service to others, and the loving rule of Christ over all people and all things, which runs through this Coronation Liturgy,” Lambeth Palace said.

Coronation Artists
The King and The Queen Consort have commissioned five artists to capture some of the most significant moments of the Coronation Weekend. The artists will produce sketches and paintings of the Coronation Procession and Service, as well as the Coronation concert.

The three alumni of The Royal Drawing School will draw events they witness from positions along the Processional Route. The artists will observe and capture: crowds lining the route, Charles and Camila’s departure from Buckingham Palace, their arrival at Westminster Abbey and the return journey following the service, in their medium of choice.

How Much Will King Charles’ Coronation Cost In The UK And Who Will Pay For It?
The cost of the coronation is estimated to be £100 million ($125 million) and it will be borne by the UK Government. The government had spent £1.57 million on the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1853, according to The Times.

With inputs from agencies