The
coronation of Charles III
and Queen Camilla on Saturday in London will be a complex multi-step ceremony, rooted in tradition yet slightly modernized, after which the UK will experience three days of festivities.
The day begins with the 'King's Procession', a 2km journey through the city centre, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.
The royal couple
will travel in the modern carriage
built for Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, drawn by six Windsor Gray horses and escorted by members of the royal household's cavalry.
The tour that the kings will take this Saturday.
/AFP
They will arrive at the church for the beginning of the ceremony at 11 local time (7 am in Argentina).
Charles will be crowned at 12 noon and the service, led by the Church of England's highest-ranking clergyman, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, will end an hour later.
The guests
Some 2,000 people, from foreign leaders and members of royalty to elected officials and representatives of civil society, will be present.
The ceremony is largely the same for over a thousand years.
The king is first presented to the faithful, who respond with cries of "God save King Charles!"
Trumpets are sounded after each recognition.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will administer the "coronation oath", in the form of questions to the monarch.
The wording has varied over the centuries.
Carlos will answer the questions with his hand on the Bible and then say, "I will keep what I have promised. God help me."
He will also separately take
an oath in which the king claims to be a "faithful Protestant".
The monarch, seated in King Edward's throne, the coronation chair, under a canopy, is "anointed, blessed and consecrated" by the archbishop.
The carriage that will take the kings this Saturday to Westminster Abbey.
Photo: EFE
Rites
The consecrated oil is poured from a gold vial and administered with a 12th-century silver-gilt spoon that is the oldest artifact of the crown jewels.
The anointing will be "the only part of the ceremony that the public won't see," Welby said.
The coronation chair was made in 1300.
Beneath it is the "Stone of Scone" or "Stone of Destiny", an ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy seized by King Edward I.
After receiving the orb and sceptres, which represent the spiritual and temporal powers of the king, the crown of Saint Edward is placed on the monarch's head.
This solid gold relic set with precious stones, such as rubies and sapphires, is only worn when the monarch is crowned.
The monarch sits on the throne.
Traditionally, the archbishop and heir to the throne, followed by royal dukes and aristocrats, kneel and swear allegiance.
But this time Crown Prince William will be the only royal duke to pay homage to Charles.
And instead of the aristocratic homage, the Archbishop of Canterbury will invite all people from wherever they are watching or listening to swear allegiance to the new king, a historical first that seeks to democratize the ceremony but drew strong criticism.
Camilla's coronation
Camila will be crowned separately in a similar but simpler ceremony.
The King and Queen will return to Buckingham Palace in the golden carriage, in
a grand parade called the "coronation procession."
The carriage, first used in 1762, weighs four tons and will be pulled by eight Windsor Gray hairs.
Camila will be crowned in a simpler ceremony.
Photo: AP
They will be joined by other members of the royal family and some 4,000 soldiers in full dress uniform.
At the palace, the royal couple will appear on the balcony at around 2:15 p.m. local time to greet and watch an air parade.
Neighborhood parties dubbed the "Big Coronation Meal" will take place across the UK on Sunday.
At 20 locals, the venue of Windsor Castle, west of London, will receive some 10,000 people for a concert with artists such as Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Take That and Andrea Bocelli.
Monday was declared a holiday
and the royal family called on the British to do volunteer work that day.
Source: AFP
BC
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The coronation of King Charles III: medieval rites fit modern times