Charles III was formally crowned King in Westminster Abbey with the deposition on his head of the Crown of Saint Edward the Confessor, becoming the successor of Queen Elizabeth II who died last September 8th. He is the 40th monarch crowned ruler there since 1066, but is also the oldest king ever crowned on the British Isle and the longest-serving heir to the throne of the Kingdom.
Charles III: “I am here to serve, not to be served”
The celebrations began with a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, passing through The Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and Parliament Street, then turning into Parliament Square and Broad Sanctuary to reach Westminster.
Once arrived at the abbey, the ceremony began: first the religious anointing of the sovereign with holy oil, then the solemn oath of allegiance to the "laws of the Kingdom, the Church of England and its Protestant faith" in the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby,
"I'm here to serve, not to be served.", said Charles III, moved, reciting the ritual formula that invokes the example of "the King of Kings", Jesus Christ. The liturgy lasted about 2 hours in all, shorter than the previous one: the coronation in 1953, 70 years ago, of Queen Elizabeth II, mother of Charles.
Soon after, King Charles was crowned, again by Archbishop Justin Welby, also the Queen Camilla, his wife. “May your servant Camilla, who wears this crown, be filled with your abundant grace and all princely virtues; she reigns in her heart, O King of love, so that she, certain of your protection, may be crowned by your gracious favour; through Jesus Christ our Lord,” the archbishop said to God.
The coronation of Charles III represented unique from a religious point of view: for the first time in the history of the nation, in fact, the King also received the blessing from religious leaders of non-Christian faiths practiced in the Kingdom: one Muslim, one Jew, one Hindu, one Buddhist, one Sikh.
Present at the ceremony both sons of the Kingbut with distinct roles. William, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, performed the ritual of genuflection and submission before King Charles III after the formal coronation. The heir to the throne knelt down and took the oath promising "loyalty, faith and truth" to the sovereign and then performed the ritual kiss on the cheek. Harry was instead in the third row, without his wife Meghan, who remained in the US. The front row is in fact reserved for "active" royal family members and Harry is no longer active.
Guests attending the coronation of King Charles III
The President of the Republic was present at the ceremony, Sergio Mattarella, accompanied by his daughter Laura. Among the first international leaders to arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend the coronation were the Ukrainian premier Denys Shmyhal and the first lady, Olena Zelenska, sent by Volodymyr Zelensky to represent Ukraine. Also present was the French president, Emmanuel Macron e Jill biden who leads the US delegation.
Then there is a presence destined to enter the history books, that of cardinal Pietro Parolin, representing the Pope of Rome. It is the first time a Vatican representative has attended the coronation inside Westminster Abbey since 1553. When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, before the Second Vatican Council, Pope Pius XII's representative to Great Britain had to follow the ceremony from a purpose-built gallery outside Westminster Cathedral - the Catholic mother church - located about 400 meters from the Abbey.
Comments from political leaders
"The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be a moment of extraordinary national pride," said the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, in a comment released during the night. Today's coronation is "a proud expression of our history, our culture and our traditions", she added, underlining that "no other country could stage such a dazzling spectacle. Together with friends from across the Commonwealth and beyond, we will celebrate the enduring nature of our great monarchy, its steadfastness, devotion to duty and service to others,” Sunak said.
“Congratulations to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their coronation. The enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom is a source of strength for both of our peoples. I am proud that the First Lady is representing the United States on this historic occasion," the US president wrote on Twitter. Joe Biden
“The coronation is a testament to the enduring strength of the British monarchy. A symbol of stability and continuity. My congratulations to King Charles III and Queen Camilla,” the president of the European Commission wrote on Twitter, Ursula von der Leyen.
"The historic and fruitful cooperation between Italy and the United Kingdom, which we are certain with King Charles III - who again yesterday recalled his love for Italy - will further strengthen, as we have already begun to do with PM Rishi Sunak". The premier said so Giorgia Meloni Your Facebook.
“I am honored to represent the European Union with Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel at the coronation of HM King Charles III and HM Queen Camilla today at Westminster Abbey in London,” she tweeted. the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
The protests of the anti-monarchists
This morning Graham Smith, leader of the Republic movement, was arrested on the basis of a controversial law, the Public Order Act, approved by the Sunak government and signed by Carlo last Wednesday. Smith was stopped because he had a megaphone, which according to the police "would have disturbed those present" while waiting for the passage of Carlo and Camilla in the carriage. It also had signs that read "not my King”, "He's not my king."
According to reports from the BBC, with Smith there would have been a small group of anti-monarchists, called Republic, determined to protest despite the new law giving the police enhanced powers to suppress demonstrations today. "Republic is not intimidated and will protest in Trafalgar Square and along the route of the coronation procession on Saturday," the militant group wrote in a statement by its leader, Graham Smith, quoted by the Guardian. “It is indicative that Carlo, who has not hesitated to denounce various problems, has instead chosen not to defend democratic rights when these are threatened in his name. Perhaps it is better for him to clarify whether he believes in the right to protest,” he added.
