King Charles' & The Coronation

Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor, aged 73 became the oldest British monarch to start his reign as King since William IV in 1831. Charles became King in September 2022 after the death of his late mother Elizabeth II, taking the traditional approach in choosing his "regnal title," by becoming King Charles III. It isn't too uncommon for a new monarch to use one of their middle names instead of their first name, King Edward VII was known as Prince Albert when his mother Queen Victoria reigned but decided to use one of his middle names to reign as Edward VII.

King Charles III is the first King Charles since the 17th century. The two previous British monarchs entitled Charles were Charles I (1625 -1649) and his eldest son Charles II (1660-1685). Famously Charles I ruled with a heavy hand and his frequent quarrels with parliament provoked a civil war led by Oliver Cromwell, resulting in Charles I execution. His son Charles II became king in 1660, being restored to the throne after years of exile during the Puritan Commonwealth. The years of his reign are known in English history as the Restoration period.

Born November 14^th 1948 in Buckingham Palace, England, King Charles III is the longest serving Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesey in British history. The title of Prince and Princess of Wales has now been handed down to his eldest son William and wife Catherine. Currently there are no plans for William to have an official investiture to become Prince of Wales like his father did.

On 1 July 1969 with 4000 guests in attendance, 19 million people watching in the UK and another 500 million watching around the world, the investiture ceremony for a young Charles commenced at Caernarfon Castle, Wales. A key part of the ceremony included reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II, giving Charles the symbols that marked him as the new Prince of Wales: the sword, coronet, ring, rod and mantle.

The coronation of King Charles III will take place at Westminster Abbey, London and be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury whose task it has been since the Norman Conquest in 1066. A famous occasion for pageantry and celebration, the royal coronation is also a solemn religious ceremony which essentially has remained the same over the last thousand years. Famous faces will adorn Westminster Abbey with representatives of the Houses of Parliament, Church and State being invited including Prime ministers and leading citizens from the Commonwealth.

British coronation ceremonies historically attract a global audience. The Coronation of late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 was ground-breaking due to being the first ever to be televised, watched by 27 million UK citizens alone (over half the British population).

The Coronation

King Charles will be crowned with St Edward’s crown. The crown is named after a much earlier version made for the Anglo-Saxon king and saint, Edward the Confessor, and said to have been used at coronations after 1220 until Cromwell had it melted down.Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned with Queen Mary's Crown - originally made for Queen Mary's coronation alongside George V. The crown has been modified and reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds.

There are 5 main stages to the service that is expected to last a little under 2 hours. A brief description follows:

1. King Charles III will enter Westminster Abbey and proceed to the central space of the Abbey to be presented to "the people", a tradition dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. Standing by the Coronation Chair, which is over 700 years old, the Archbishop of Canterbury will proclaim Charles the undoubted King and ask all there to show homage and service to Charles. The congregation will shout “God Save the King!” and trumpets will sound after each recognition.

2. King Charles will announce that he will uphold the law and the Church of England during his reign. With his hand placed on the Holy Gospel he will make the Coronation Oath. This is a legal requirement of the Coronation ceremony.

3. The Sovereign’s ceremonial robe will be removed and Charles will be seated in the Coronation Chair, also known as St Edward’s Chair. The Archbishop will anoint King Charles with holy oil poured from the Ampulla, a gold flask, onto the Coronation Spoon. The Spoon dates back to the 12^th Century and survived the destruction of the Coronation regalia by Oliver Cromwell after the English Civil War. This is the most solemn part of the coronation service, for by anointing the monarch is set apart or consecrated for the duties of a Sovereign. It is possible that a canopy may be held over the King during this most sacred part of the Coronation.

4. King Charles III sat in the Coronation Chair to be invested with the Regalia. Items such as the Orb are presented symbolically and then returned to the altar, but King Charles will retain the Sceptre (symbolising kingly power) in one hand and the Rod with the Dove (symbolising justice and mercy) in the other. Finally the Archbishop will place St Edward’s Crown on the Sovereign’s head. The St Edward’s crown is named after a much earlier version made for the Anglo-Saxon king and saint, Edward the Confessor, and said to have been used at coronations after 1220 until Oliver Cromwell had it melted down. Finally trumpet fanfares will sound and the congregation will acclaim the new Sovereign.

5. In the final part of the ceremony King Charles will take the throne. In past coronations royals and peers would have knelt before the Sovereign, kissed their hand and sworn allegiance. For King Charles it is expected that Prince William will be the only Royal Duke to do this.

In a simpler ceremony, Queen Camilla will then be anointed, crowned and enthroned with Queen Mary’s Crown. The crown has been modified to remove some of the arches and reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds.

Before their departure from the Abbey, St Edwards crown will be removed and replaced by the Imperial State Crown. The National Anthem will be played as the King and Queen leave the Abbey.