Charles and Camilla arrive at the traditional church in a gilded carriage in a royal procession through the streets of London.

On their way from Buckingham Palace through The Mall in typical British rain, they passed tens of thousands of cheering Brits and visiting foreigners, some of whom had camped out for days in order to find the best spot to watch the royal couple pass by. on their way to Westminster. Monastery.

Shouts of “God Save The King” were heard throughout the procession, but there were also protests from republicans who chanted “Not my King”. Several demonstrators have been arrested in the morning, until protests from human rights organizations.

As Charles and Camilla entered the church, they were greeted at the door by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who was responsible for crowning and anointing the new king, and trumpets and cries of God Save the King echoed throughout the church.

Charles has been King Charles III since his mother Queen Elizabeth died last September, but the colorful coronation ceremony was held long after the mourning period ended.

Tradition is thousands of years old

The ceremony follows an elaborate thousand-year tradition, and every king and queen who has been crowned through the centuries will recognize most of the elements, from centuries-old thrones to St. George’s Crowns. Edward and the anointing symbolize the relationship. to the Christian God.

But it’s more adaptable to the 21st century, partly by the fact that an increasingly diverse representation of other religions in Great Britain plays a role. The monarch is no longer just the supreme head of the Church of England, but also the monarch of an increasingly religiously and ethnically diverse country. Both Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh communities are represented.

Changed words

When he took the traditional oath to rule the English people with “justice and mercy”, there was a slight change in words, from defender of the faith to defender of religion.

The vows are the second of five elements in the historic two-hour Anglican coronation ritual, which is rooted in a thousand years of tradition. He took an oath with his hand over the Bible and after that kissed the holy book.

After the oath has been taken, the archbishop himself performs the anointing. He drew the outline of the cross on King Charles’ head, hands and chest with special oil religiously consecrated in Jerusalem. Oil was placed in coronation spoons from the Middle Ages.

Between the king and God

This part of the ceremony was not shown on television or to guests as it was considered the holiest part of the coronation and a private moment between the king and God. The anointing took place behind three screens blocking access.

The crown itself, the Crown of St. Edward, placed by the Archbishop on the head of Charles, has been used in coronations of kings since the 17th century.

The crown weighs about 2.2 kilograms and consists of a gold frame decorated with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topaz and tourmaline, and has a purple velvet cap with an ermine band. It was worn only once during the reign of the monarch and is usually on display in the Tower of London.

After Charles was crowned, it was the turn of his lifelong love, Camilla, who was crowned Queen of Great Britain. She placed Queen Mary’s crown on her head before sitting on the throne next to Charles.

After the two-hour ceremony was over, Charles and Camilla began the coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace, in the 260-year-old Gold Country Carriage, which has been used for coronations since 1831.

Nobles and commoners

When Charles and Camilla walked into the traditional church, all 2,300 guests were already present, from royalty and heads of state from other countries, among them Crown Princes Haakon and Mette-Marit, to celebrities, politicians and the few hundred ordinary Britons who were lucky enough to be invited. .

On the bench are judges in wigs, express-order officers in red uniform jackets and eight current and former British prime ministers. There are also French President Emmanuel Macron, US First Lady Jill Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and celebrities such as Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Nick Cave and Lionel Richie.

Heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Princess Catherine sat in the front row with other close family members, while Prince Harry was placed in the third row. He had come without his wife Duchess Meghan from the United States to attend her father’s coronation. At the other end of the third row sat Prince Andrew, who had been stripped of his royal duties due to allegations of abuse. He was booed by some of the attendees outside when he arrived at the church.

Also in attendance were representatives from the 14 countries where Charles was also head of state, and which are remnants of the old British Commonwealth. Some of these countries, such as Jamaica and Belize, are now considering becoming republics.

The coronation was the first in 70 years that Elizabeth II was crowned, and the first by a monarch since Charles’ grandfather in 1937.

(© NTB)