Coronation of Charles III. Saturday, May 6
11:20 CET – Start of processions
from Buckingham Palace
Source: Google Earth, Aktuálně.cz
King Charles III will leave before half past twelve Central European time. with Queen Consort Camilla from Buckingham Palace along The Mall leading from to Trafalgar Square, where it turns into Whitehall Street and then Westminster Abbey. The public will watch the procession for almost the entire length of the journey, i.e. 2.3 kilometers.
Contrary to the tradition, when kings and queens rode in the old Golden Carriage, Charles III will ride. with Camilla in the Carriage for the Diamond Jubilee, which was created in 2012 to celebrate 60 years since the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. to the throne.
Official invitation to the coronation of King Charles III. and Queen Camilla.
Source: Reuters
before 12:00 – Arrival at Westminster Abbey
Shortly before noon, King Charles III will arrive. with Camilla to Westminster Abbey, where coronations of British monarchs have been taking place since 1066. William I the Conqueror, Charles III. he will already be the fortieth monarch.
On the way to the ceremony, the king will wear the robes of his grandfather George V. He will complement this with the cloak of George IV. and the gloves and belt of George VI. Queen consort Camilla will wear the robes of Queen Elizabeth II. from 1953.
Charles III will be at the coronation. clad in the golden robes of King George V (left), he will be wearing a floor-length golden cloak that belonged to King George IV. Source: Reuters
12:00 – Start of the coronation
The royal couple will be accompanied to the abbey by clergy as well as representatives of the Commonwealth of Nations, who will carry the flags of their countries. Among them will be British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who will read from the Bible during the ceremony.
During the ceremony, twelve songs personally selected by King Karl III will be played.
Coronation of British monarchs
12.00-14.00 – Coronation
The form of the coronation has not changed since 1902, when Eduard VII became king. First will be Charles III. presented to the people and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby declares him the undisputed king. Then the entire congregation says “God save the king” and their wishes are confirmed by the sound of trumpets.
After the solemn oath, the king will sit on the 13th-century wooden Coronation Throne, remove his ceremonial robes and be anointed with oil imported from Jerusalem, confirming him as the head of the Church of England. This part of the coronation is considered the most sacred, so the throne with the king will be covered.
This is followed by the placing of the crown on the head of King Charles III. The crown of St. Edward from 1661, which is made of gold and weighs 2.2 kilograms, will be used for this purpose. It is only used for coronations, so it will be the first and at the same time the last moment when Charles III will have it. wearing. Two minutes later the bells will ring and ceremonial gunfire will take place across Great Britain.
In the last part of the ceremony, Charles III. takes the throne – other than the one on which the crown was placed on his head. The heir to the throne, Prince William, then approaches his father, kneels and pays his respects.
Crown of St. Edward
It is only used for coronations
Made in 1661
It weighs 2.2 kilograms
Inlaid with rubies, amethysts, garnets, sapphires and topazes
British Imperial Crown
Made in 1937
It weighs 1 kilogram
Inlaid with 2868 diamonds and 17 sapphires
St. Edward’s Sapphire
The Black Prince’s Ruby
Cullinan from the largest diamond found in the world
Queen Mary’s crown
Silver crown with 2200 diamonds
It weighs 590 grams
Made in 1911
3 diamonds from the Cullinan, the largest diamond ever found in the world
A simpler ceremony awaits the queen’s wife Camilla: she will be anointed, crowned and seated on the throne, but she will not make any vows herself. For her coronation, Queen Mary’s crown from 1911 will be used, but it has been modified – due to confusion about the ownership of diamonds, some precious stones have been removed from it. The coronation will end with a service.
Portrait of the royal couple from the end of April 2023. Source: Reuters
14:00 – Procession back to Buckingham Palace
The procession will take the same route back to Buckingham Palace. The king and queen consort will be dressed in robes specially made for the occasion. They will be embroidered with nature motifs as well as the national symbols of England (rose), Scotland (thistle) and Ireland (four-leaf clover).
The family of the heir to the throne, Prince William, should walk behind the carriage.
The event will conclude with the king greeting the queen consort from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, and other members of the royal family are also expected to be present. Army planes will then fly over the palace for six minutes.
Clip from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. in 1953.
Source: Reuters
Who will attend the coronation?
More than 2,200 guests will watch the festivities right in Westminster Abbey. Among them are members of the royal family, including the monarch’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and his two siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, reports the British station BBC. The station does not mention whether Prince Andrew, who was investigated in connection with the case of convicted pedophile and millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, will attend the coronation. What is certain, however, is that Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, will not be flying to the coronation.
A special role awaits nine-year-old Prince George, who, as William’s son, is second in the line of succession. He will be one of four pages of honor for the royal couple. His siblings Charlotte and Louis will have no official role.
In addition to the royal family, the coronation will be attended by statesmen from 203 countries, for example French President Emmanuel Macron or the head of the White House Joe Biden, the Czech Republic will be represented by President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva. Among the guests will also be Nobel Prize winners, religious leaders, workers of community and charity organizations have also been invited. Actors Stephen Fry and Rowan Atkinson and singer Lionel Richie will also arrive at the celebration. There is also talk that former footballer David Beckham and his wife Victoria should have received an invitation.
Coronation in numbers and attractions
Where can I watch the coronation?
The Aktuálně.cz newspaper will cover the coronation in a special online broadcast, reports, photo galleries and other materials, and our special correspondent will also cover it directly in London.
In the Czech Republic, all major TV stations will broadcast the coronation broadcast – the live broadcast along with thematic programs will be broadcast on Saturday on ČT24, TV Nova and CNN Prima News.
Coronation with the view of an expert on the royal family Ondřej Kubáček
Source: Aktuálně.cz
