Carlos III and his wife, Camila, Kings of the United Kingdom were crowned this Saturday at Westminster Abbey.in the heart of London, in a solemn and emotional ceremony that was presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Primate of the Church of England.
With all the medieval tradition reserved for the occasion, Carlos III, 74, was crowned to symbolically mark his reign, which began, de jure and de facto, on September 8, 2022, on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
This is the first time in 70 years that the UK has witnessed the coronation of a head of state.for which royal insignia and the crown of Saint Edward, from the 17th century, weighing more than two kilos and adorned with precious stones, were used.
The kings traveled in a carriage
The coronation show, which lasted more than two hours, began at 10:20 local time (09:20 GMT), when the king and queen left Buckingham Palace for the abbey in the “Diamond Jubilee” carriage, one of the most modern in the royal family, drawn by six white horses and escorted by the royal guard, in their colorful red suits and black bowlers.
Thousands of people, stationed behind security barriers in the streets where the royal procession passed, shouted and waved British flags as the float made its way.
In addition to the most royalists, there was a protest by groups opposed to the coronation, who carried banners with the title “This is not my king” and yellow shirts.
The director of the anti-monarchist group “Republic”, Graham Smith, and other organizers of the protest, They were arrested by the Police in the central Trafalgar Square before the start of the acts.
British punctuality
With British punctuality, the liturgical service began at 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT), in the presence of thousands of guests, including the Kings of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, and religious representatives and representatives of the countries with which the United Kingdom maintains full diplomatic relations.
The ceremony took place with music specially selected by the monarch and conducted by Antonio Pappano, the renowned musical director of the Royal Opera House in London.
Before the climactic moment of the coronation, Carlos III was anointed with oil consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most solemn religious rite of today’s liturgywhich required the monarch to be temporarily concealed from the congregation.
The sovereign was veiled by a panel of cloth embroidered with angel motifs and a tree with 56 leaves representing each of the countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
Charles was seated in St Edward’s Oak Chair, considered the oldest piece of furniture in the UK and placed on a medieval mosaic floor, for the coronation ceremony.
Dressed in a golden cape, Carlos III was presented with the different royal insignia, which symbolize his responsibilities as head of state until the day of his death.
Thus, the king received the orb from the sovereign, which symbolizes the world; the scepter with a cross, which represents the Christian world; and the scepter of the dove, symbol of the spiritual role of the monarch, as well as a white glove symbol of power.
Charles III, crowned
Then, at the most important moment, the archbishop placed the crown of Saint Edward on the king’s head and shouted “God save the King” while the sound of trumpets was heard and cannon shots were fired from different parts of the country, including the Tower of London.
Then it was the turn of Prince William, heir to the crown, who kissed his father on the cheek.
On leaving the abbey, Charles III, who was already wearing another crown, the imperial one, and Camila were taken to Buckingham Palace in the golden state carriage, built in 1762, escorted by some 4,000 members of the armed forces, in a imposing parade, which was accompanied by the sound of drums.
Once in the palace, in the gardens, the king received the greetings of the members of the different regiments, to highlight the strong bond between the monarchy and the armed forces. The final act was the exit to the balcony of the palace of the kings, with the children who acted as pages and members of the royal family who work for the Royal House, such as the princes of Wales, Guillermo and Catalina; the Dukes of Edinburgh, Eduardo and Sofía, and Princess Ana, sister of the monarch.
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