King Charles III arrived at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday to be crowned in Britain’s biggest ceremonial event in seven decades, a lavish display of pageantry dating back 1,000 years.
Charles succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth, when she died last September and, aged 74, will become the oldest British monarch to have the 360-year-old St Edward’s Crown placed on his head as he sits on a 14th-century throne in Westminster Abbey, London.
The King and his second wife, Camilla, 75, who will be crowned Queen during the two-hour ceremony, left Buckingham Palace in the modern Diamond State Jubilee Coach, accompanied by knights wearing gleaming cuirasses and plumed helmets.
At the abbey, watched by around 100 heads of state and dignitaries including US First Lady Jill Biden and millions on television, Charles will be crowned like his predecessors since the time of William the Conqueror in 1066.
While rooted in history, the event will also attempt to showcase a forward-thinking monarchy.
For a nation struggling to find its way through the political turmoil following its exit from the European Union and maintain its footing in a new world order, advocates say the royal family still offers an international attraction, a diplomatic tool vital and a means to stay in place world stage.
“No other country could put on such a dazzling spectacle – the processions, pageantry, ceremonies and street parties,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
Despite Sunak’s enthusiasm, the coronation comes amid a cost-of-living crisis and public skepticism, particularly among young people, about the role and importance of the monarchy.
Saturday’s event will be on a smaller scale than the one staged for Queen Elizabeth in 1953, but will still aim to be spectacular, with a range of historic regalia, from golden orbs and jeweled swords to a scepter holding the largest colorless diamond of the world world.
Hundreds of soldiers in bright scarlet uniforms and tall black bearskin hats made their way along The Mall, Buckingham Palace’s grand boulevard, where tens of thousands ignored the light rain to gather in groups of more than 20 in some places.
“I saw the beautiful white horses pulling the carriage,” said Beverlee Moag-Walker, 49, from Northern Ireland, as the king’s carriage passed. “He was fabulous.”
Michelle Fawcett, 52, an attorney, said: “It was a historic moment and quite a spectacular one.”
However, not everyone was there to encourage Charles. Hundreds of Republicans booed and waved “Not My King” banners.
More than 11,000 police were deployed to quell any attempts to disrupt the ceremony and the Republic campaign group said its leader Graham Smith was arrested along with five other protesters.
(Written by Michael Holden and Kate Holton; Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill, Sarah Young, Suban Abdulla, Rachel Armstrong, Farouq Suleiman, Muvija M and Paul Sandle)
Source: Terra
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