King Charles III will be crowned on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London, alongside his wife Queen Consort Camilla, in a ceremony “looking towards the future”Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday.
Eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96, the religious ceremony will be led as tradition dictates by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Charles III, 73, will be “Anointed, Blessed and Consecrated” by the spiritual head of the Church of England, of which the monarch is supreme governor.
“The coronation will reflect the role of the monarch today and look to the future, while being rooted in the long tradition and pomp of the monarchy”Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The oldest king to accede to the throne
The coronations of British monarchs have taken place for 900 years at Westminster Abbey. Since the Norman Conquest in 1066, the ceremony has almost always been conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Became queen on February 6, 1952 on the death of her father George VI, Elizabeth II was crowned 16 months later. For the first time, the ceremony was broadcast on television and watched by 27 million Britons, for 36 million inhabitants at the time. It had lasted more than three hours, in front of 8,251 guests.
In line with Charles’ wish for a tight monarchy, the ceremony should be shorter, smaller and less expensive, but also more representative of the diversity of modern Britain. Queen Consort Camilla – a title intended by Elizabeth II for her son’s second wife – will also be crowned during the ceremony, the preparations for which are known as the« Operation Golden Orb ».
Charles is the oldest king to accede to the throne in the history of the British monarchy, after the seven decades of reign of Elizabeth II, who celebrated her platinum jubilee last June. Charles III will finally receive his royal attributes, in particular a scepter, then the crown, placed on his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury.