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Top 12 Moments at the Coronation of King Charles III

A worldwide audience takes in the pomp and personalities as Britain celebrates


spinner image King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to onlookers from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla can be seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony ahead of the flypast during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England.
Getty Images Entertainment

King Charles III is now the anointed sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, after 70 years as heir to the throne — the longest wait in history — to claim a destiny ordained at birth.

Charles, 74, was crowned Saturday in an ancient and often moving religious ritual that bowed to tradition, displayed Britain’s honed sense of organized pageantry, and added touches of modernity aimed at updating a 1,000-year-old monarchy for an uncertain future. He is the oldest monarch ever to take the throne in the U.K.

It was a normal spring day, a bit wet, as it was for the 1953 and 1937 coronations. But it wasn’t torrential, just a drizzle, nothing that would dampen the enthusiasm of the cheering crowds of royal fans lining the Mall for the procession to Westminster Abbey; some of them had been camped out there for days.

Charles’ consort, Queen Camilla, 75, was crowned as well, and his heirs to the throne — son William, the Prince of Wales, 40, and grandson Prince George of Wales, 9 — took part in the two-hour ceremony in Westminster Abbey. 

The king emerged from the abbey wearing the heavy imperial state crown and with Queen Camilla returned to Buckingham Palace in an antique horse-drawn carriage accompanied by ranks of colorfully clad troops, horses and bands through central London streets lined with enthusiastic crowds. 

Later, the royal couple, wearing their crowns and coronation robes, appeared on the palace balcony with most of his immediate family to acknowledge the cheers from the jam-packed Mall, and to watch the traditional, always impressive fly-past by military aircraft trailing British red, white and blue. 

Here are some of the highlights of the day, widely carried by broadcasters around the world for hours before the ceremony began at 11 a.m. London time. The British outdid themselves again, pulling off a massive and complicated coronation ritual that was almost flawless. 

spinner image The Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Justin Welby places the St Edwards Crown on King Charles III.
The Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Justin Welby places the St Edwards Crown on King Charles III.
WPA Pool/Getty Images

Balancing the weight of the crown ... literally! 

The St. Edward’s Crown wobbled. After placing it on Charles’ head, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, seemed to twist it a bit to make sure it stayed put, then briefly lifted it again to secure it. The crown tipped forward, so the archbishop adjusted it some more before he was satisfied. 

Aside from being old, the crown is heavy and tall, but it was specially fitted for the king’s head after being removed from the Tower of London, where it is usually part of the display of the crown jewels. 

spinner image Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, talks to his aunt, Princess Anne, Princess Royal at Westminster Abbey.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, talks to his aunt, Princess Anne, Princess Royal at Westminster Abbey.
AFP via Getty Images

Where is Prince Harry?

Not at the back, as predicted by some hostile tabloids, but not in the front, either. The Duke of Sussex was seated in the third row, far from estranged elder brother Prince William and his family in the front row. 

Harry, the rebel younger son of the king, who is fifth in line to the throne and a Councilor of State, paid a price for his decision to give up his royal role and move with his American wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to California: He walked into the abbey alone (Meghan stayed home with their two children) behind his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and their husbands, who followed their father, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the king’s younger, scandal-scarred brother. All of the Yorks are far behind Harry in the succession. 

Harry was not wearing a uniform because he was stripped of his military associations and roles by his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after he left the U.K. And he was not on the palace balcony after the ceremony; he was expected to return to California immediately after the ceremony, thus missing the coronation concert on Sunday at Windsor Castle. 

spinner image Prince William touches the St Edward's Crown on the head of his father, King Charles III.
Prince William touches the St Edward's Crown on the head of his father, King Charles III.
AFP via Getty Images

Prince William bows to the King

Prince William, first in line to the throne now, was first after the archbishop to pay homage to the king — and he was the only one because the Homage of the Peers of past coronations was dropped. He pledged to be the king’s “liege man,” and kissed him on the cheek.

His wife, Princess Catherine of Wales (known as Kate), and his children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, also were highly visible at the ceremony; the children were especially beloved by the cameras. Will and Kate were draped in bedecked blue royal robes. 

spinner image Princess Charlotte and Catherine, Princess of Wales wore matching tiaras.
Princess Charlotte and the Catherine, Princess of Wales during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London, England.
WPA Pool / Getty Images

Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte are twinsies

Kate was wearing a white Alexander McQueen dress beneath her robe; Charlotte was wearing a McQueen white dress, too, with a white cape. She wore a silver floral headpiece in her hair similar to her mother’s floral tiara.  

spinner image Prince Louis yawns during the coronation ceremony.
Prince Louis yawns during the coronation ceremony.
WPA Pool/Getty Images

Louis was a little sleepy

The little prince was seen yawning widely at one point, though he was paying attention enough to point something out to Charlotte above their heads while they were seated in the abbey.

During the service, Louis disappeared for a brief period, as planned due to his age. But onlookers were impressed he was there for as long as he was. Last summer, during the late queen’s Platinum Jubilee events, he was something of a cut-up who had to be gently restrained by his parents.

spinner image (left to right) Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis hold hands.
(left to right) Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis hold hands.
WPA Pool/Getty Images

Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis adorably hold hands

At one point, Charlotte and Louis were seen holding hands as they stood in the abbey behind their parents. And George, wearing a scarlet uniform for his role as a page of honor, was spotted making funny faces or with his tongue out.  

The family returned to the palace after the ceremony in the second carriage after the king and queen’s coach.

spinner image Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during the coronation ceremony.
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during the coronation ceremony.
WPA Pool/Getty Images

The ceremony had modern touches

An obvious distinction of this coronation is the diversity of the people watching and participating inside the abbey, including the gospel choir and the various people of color chosen to carry important symbols of state or read from the Bible.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the first-ever non-Christian head of government in British history (he is a Hindu), read from the first chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians, declaring unceasing prayer for the king. 

At the end of the ceremony, in an unprecedented gesture to acknowledge 21st-century Britain’s religious diversity, the king received a greeting from leaders and representatives of major non-Christian religious communities. 

“We unite with people of all faiths and beliefs in thanksgiving, and in service with you for the common good,” the leaders told the king.

spinner image King Charles III during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey.
King Charles III during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023 in London, England.
WPA Pool/Getty Images

‘I come to serve’: A new dialogue

One of the first signs that this would be an updated coronation ritual, one fashioned by the king himself, was the greeting after the king and queen entered the abbey and processed up the aisle. A little boy, a Chapel Royal chorister, welcomed the king “in the name of the King of Kings.” 

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Charles responded, “In his name and after his example I come not to be served but to serve.” 

This little encounter is a new addition to the coronation ceremony, reflecting the king’s effort to demonstrate that the monarchy serves the people and not the other way around. 

‘I am willing’

A key part of the coronation ceremony is the king’s swearing the Coronation Oath to uphold and protect the law and the Protestant religion of the United Kingdom. Charles’ oath included a promise to “foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “The Coronation Oath has stood for centuries and is enshrined in law. Are you willing to take the oath?” “I am willing,” the king replied.

spinner image An anointing screen is erected for King Charles III during the coronation ceremony.
An anointing screen is erected for Britain's King Charles III during the Coronation Ceremony inside Westminster Abbey in central London on May 6, 2023.
FP via Getty Images

The most sacred moment was hidden behind a screen

Following tradition, including his mother’s 1953 coronation, Charles chose to be anointed — the most sacred part of the ceremony — with consecrated oil from Jerusalem, shielded from cameras behind a newly designed three-sided embroidered screen open only to the high altar in the abbey.

Behind it, the archbishop poured the holy oil from a gold ampulla shaped like an eagle into the 12th-century coronation spoon and made a sign of the cross on the king’s hands, breast and head. (The same ritual was performed on Queen Camilla, but her anointing was not screened.) Once the symbol of the idea that monarchs ruled by divine right, today it confirms that the British monarch is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Held by poles made from an ancient Windsor oak and mounted with gilded eagles, the screen combines traditional and contemporary sustainable embroidery practices to reflect the king’s affection for the Commonwealth, according to Buckingham Palace. The screen’s design takes the form of a tree, including the names of the 56 Commonwealth nations with the king’s cypher at the base. The design is inspired by the stained-glass sanctuary window in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace. 

spinner image Princess Anne, Princess Royal rides on horseback behind the gold state coach carrying the newly crowned King and Queen Consort as they travel down The Mall.
Princess Anne, Princess Royal rides on horseback behind the gold state coach carrying the newly crowned King and Queen Consort as they travel down The Mall during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England.
Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Who was the Gold Stick?

The king’s sister and the late queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne the Princess Royal, 72, played a special role as the only royal on horseback, leading the procession of thousands of military personnel directly behind the Gold State Coach carrying the king and queen back to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony. 

Anne, widely acknowledged as the hardest-working royal, carrying out hundreds of engagements a year, has been Gold Stick in Waiting since 1998, an antique position referring to those (men) who acted as bodyguards of the monarch. 

spinner image The British Royal Air Force's (RAF) aerobatic team, the "Red Arrows", perform a fly-past over Admiralty Arch after the coronation.
The British Royal Air Force's (RAF) aerobatic team, the "Red Arrows", perform a fly-past over Admiralty Arch in central London on May 6, 2023, after the coronations of Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla.
AFP via Getty Images

The breathtaking balcony scene

Prior to the day, the palace refused to disclose who would appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the newly crowned king and queen. As might have been expected, only 15 members of his family were there, all of them working royals. Consequently, neither Prince Harry nor Prince Andrew (the king’s 63-year-old brother, who had been embroiled in controversy) was there, as neither is a working royal.

The balcony gathering is traditional at major royal events, to wave to the crowds, acknowledge the cheers and watch the military aircraft fly-past trailing British red, white and blue.

 

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