The current monarch has been heir since the age of three, over 70, and now he’s ready to finally meet his fateful day with the woman he loves by his side.
Seven decades of waiting for the crown
Today, the oldest heir to the throne in British history will be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
In London, a maximum of 17°C is expected. As observers note, the coronation wouldn’t be a typical British holiday without a drop of rain, so it’s only fitting that Saturday in the UK capital is likely to be “grey rain, wet and drizzle”. opened last night, bringing rain and strong winds to the country.
Despite this, journalists have been queuing since early morning to enter Westminster Abbey, where the coronation will take place.
The path on the golden chariot
Early in the morning, full details of the service at Westminster Abbey were also made public, during which the coronation of the King and his wife Queen Camilla will take place, who will arrive from Buckingham Palace in a golden horse-drawn carriage. After the choir, religious leaders and rulers of Their Majesty’s Commonwealth will enter Westminster Abbey to the hymn I Was Glad (“I Was Glad”). This is a choral introduction, a popular piece from the Anglican musical repertoire, a version of Psalm 122 set to music by Sir Hubert Parry, a composer from Jerusalem. “Long live, Rex!” (“Long live the king!”) will proclaim the representatives of the Westminster school.
The Archbishop of Canterbury greets parishioners with a blessing. It is the first element of the traditional English coronation rite, in which the congregation affirms the king’s support. The king will be given a copy of the Bible, which symbolically places for him the “word of God” above all human laws.
The archbishop will ask Charles III if he is ready to take the oath and “promise and swear to reign”, to which the king will reply: “I solemnly promise to do so”. Next, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will read the first chapter of the Epistle (which translates as “letter”) to the Colossians. When the king prepares to be anointed in the coronation chair, he will remove his robes of state, which indicates his humility before God. The archbishop will anoint the hands, chest and head of the king. This sacred part of the ceremony will take place behind a screen and will not be televised.
During this time, the choir will begin to sing Handel’s hymn “Priest Zadok”, which he composed for the coronation of George II in 1727. Since then, it has been sung before the sovereign’s anointing at the coronation of each British monarch.
Members of the House of Lords and senior Anglican bishops will present various symbols of royalty. Non-Christian peers will present insignia that bear no overt Christian design, acknowledging the different faiths that will serve under the authority of the king.
Made of solid gold and adorned with precious stones, the crown of Saint Edward, made in 1661, represents the king’s call before God and recalls the promises and oaths he made to the people. When the archbishop crowns the king, he will lead the assembly and proclaim, “God save the king!” – a loyal exclamation, which has been part of the coronation ritual since 1689.
After the coronation, Richard Strauss’ famous Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare will sound, followed by the tolling of the Abbey bells for two minutes, followed by a cannon salute from the Royal Horse Artillery, as well as at all saluting stations in the Kingdom, including in Bermuda, Gibraltar and on ships at sea.
The king will sit on the throne, and the archbishop will tell him to “stand firm and henceforth hold firm this place of royal dignity, which is yours by the power of Almighty God” – a formulation dating from the coronation of the King Edgar in 959. Thus at 12 noon (2 Moscow time) Charles III will be officially crowned. A separate coronation will take place for Queen Camilla.
At around 2.15pm, the King, Queen and members of the Royal Family will appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
“Zero tolerance for protests”
Anti-monarchist campaigners have pledged to advance plans for a peaceful protest against the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday. The Republican activist group plans to stage a protest within walking distance of the King’s coronation site.
They said they had received letters from the Home Office warning them of new powers given to the police to deal with public protests. At around 8 a.m. (10 a.m. Moscow time) on Saturday, anti-monarchy protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square, next to which a coronation procession will take place, heading from the Mall to Westminster Abbey.
Authorities have banned drone flights in central London as part of a wide range of security measures taken to protect the King’s coronation from possible disruption to the ceremony. London police have announced plans to use technology that scans faces and matches them with a list of people wanted by police for suspected crimes. The system will be widely used during the coronation ceremony.
More than 5,000 soldiers arrived by train at Waterloo in London before heading to the coronation. A Network Rail report said it was the biggest troop movement on Britain’s railways since Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral in 1965.
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