OLiven oil, fragrant rose and orange blossom: The special “chrisam” or holy anointing oil for the coronation of British King Charles III. was blessed in Jerusalem’s old city. The unique blend was scented with essential oils – sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber – as well as orange blossom, Buckingham Palace said. The ceremony took place on Friday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which according to Christian belief stands on the spot where Jesus was crucified and buried.
The recipe for the oil has been used “for hundreds of years,” according to the palace, including at the coronation of Charles’ mother Elizabeth in 1953. Queen Consort Camilla will also be anointed with the oil at the coronation ceremony on May 6.
The anointing oil was blessed at a service by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus III, and the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum. The oil, now kept in a silver bottle, comes from the Mount of Olives on the outskirts of Jerusalem’s Old City. The olives were harvested from two groves located in the Assumption Convent and the Convent of Mary Magdalene where Charles’ grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, is buried.
The coronation oil symbolizes Charles’ “personal family connection with the Holy Land,” said Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, according to the palace statement. Welby will officiate the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6 as spiritual leader of the Anglican Church. “From the beginning of planning for the Coronation, it has been my desire to create a new Coronation Oil using olive oil from the Mount of Olives,” Welby said. “This shows the deep historical connection between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land. From ancient kings to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place.”
The oil will thus be free of animal products – and thus also free of the suspicion of animals suffering from it, as the BBC particularly emphasized. In the past, substances from the glands of small mammals or the intestines of whales were used for the oil.
Patriarch Theophilus III. at the ceremony
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Image: Photo: Patriarchate of Jerusalem/Buckingham Palace via PA Media/dpa
Harry: “Lost a lot”
Meanwhile, Prince Harry speaks up again after leaving the British royal family – and draws a mixed balance. “I’ve lost a lot,” said the 38-year-old on Saturday in an online conversation with author and trauma expert Gabor Maté. “But at the same time I also won a lot. Watching my kids grow up the way they are growing up now wouldn’t have been possible in that environment,” Harry said, referring to his old home in the UK.
Harry and his wife Meghan (41) retired from their official royal duties in 2020 and built a new life in California. The couple now have two children, Archie (3) and Lilibet (1). Several interviews and Harry’s memoirs, in which he makes serious allegations against the royal family, have put a heavy strain on the relationship.
The rift with his family was also discussed directly in Harry’s conversation with Maté: Working through his own history in therapy felt like learning a new language. However, this also makes him feel further and further away from his family, who do not speak this language, according to Harry.
In addition to his lessons from therapy, the royal told – as in his memoirs – about his experiences with various drugs, especially experiments with psychoactive substances. Although he himself described these as helpful for himself, Harry also cautioned against trying similar things without professional guidance. “You never know what’s coming,” he said, referring to emotions and trauma that could potentially be triggered.