2023-05-06 16:16:58
IN IMAGES – At 74, Charles III was crowned king with great fanfare in Westminster Abbey, officially succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
King Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday in a Christian ceremony full of pomp and solemnity, eight months after the death of Elizabeth II. The culmination of this consecration, prepared without much popular enthusiasm and marked by the arrests of anti-monarchy demonstrators, the Archbishop of Canterbury placed on the head of the 74-year-old sovereign the crown of Saint Edward, in solid gold and set with rubies. .
Dressed in a simple white linen shirt, the king had shortly before received the anointing on his knees, protected from view by embroidered screens, while the famous “The Priest’s assby Handel. He reappeared in the eyes of the audience and hundreds of millions of expected television viewers, to take on the “supertunica», silk coat wrapped in fine pieces of gold, then the imperial coat, in gold cloth.
Read also“Charles III: changing the monarchy just enough to keep it a benchmark”
With the royal stole over his shoulders, the white leather coronation glove slipped over one hand, a scepter in each hand, the king then received the crown weighing more than two kilos, used for all coronations since 1661.
«God Save The King!exclaimed the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the first dignitary of the Anglican religion. Trumpets sounded and cannon shots were heard across the UK or fired from Royal Navy boats at sea. His kneeling heir William then pledged allegiance to his father.
Camilla, 75, Charles’ second wife, was later blessed and crowned.
Last important moment of this historic day: King Charles III and Queen Camilla, accompanied by active members of the royal family, came out on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet tens of thousands of people gathered.
They attended a flypast, reduced due to the rain, entered the palace and then came out to briefly greet the dense crowd again despite the weather.
«God save the King !»
Charles III became king of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth countries, from Canada to Australia to Jamaica, in September on the death of his mother Elizabeth II, aged 96.
Its coronation, unique in Europe, is the religious confirmation of this and the United Kingdom had not seen one since 1953. If it has been modernized with a shorter duration, representatives of the main religions and gospel sung in addition to the classics, this millennial ritual gave the British monarchy the opportunity to display all the pomp of which it has the secret.
Read also“The coronation of Charles III shows that the sacred also has its place in democracy”
The King left Buckingham Palace in a six-horse-drawn carriage, driving through central London in the rain in front of thousands of loyal royals and a few placards.Not my king» («not my king“), unimaginable under his mother.
He walked through the doors of the abbey dressed in the state coat of his grandfather George VI, notably followed by four pages, including his grandson George, followed by the Queen, in ivory robes embroidered with flowers.
Prince Harry relegated to third place
Prince William and his wife Kate, dazzling with a leaf-shaped headdress, joined the other members of the royal family, along with two of their children, Charlotte and Louis. The eldest, Prince George, second in line, was responsible for supporting his grandfather’s train.
Prince Harry was relegated to third place and deprived of any official role during this historic day, a consequence of his departure for California in 2020 followed by violent criticism of the palace.
The king was welcomed as tradition dictates by a child from the royal chapel. The Archbishop of Canterbury then proceeded toReconnaissance“, aiming to endorse the king as the true ruler of the United Kingdom and 14 other states. “God save King Charles“, he launched taken up in chorus by the assistance.
The king then took the oath on the Bible before the ceremony took place in front of the 2,300 guests, foreign dignitaries such as French President Emmanuel Macron or the wife of American President Jill Biden, celebrities such as actress Judi Dench, representatives of the nobility , political leaders and representatives of civil society.
#Grandeur #balcony #royalty.. #Images #historic #coronation #Charles #III