The coronation, almost 70 years after his mother’s coronation, will be the centerpiece of days of celebration marking the start of the monarch’s reign. Carlos acceded to the throne and was named king last month after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
By June next year, the king will be 74, making him the oldest person to be crowned in British history. It has been widely reported that the coronation will be a smaller, more modest version of the previous ceremonies, with room for representatives of different faiths and community groups in line with the diversity of modern Britain. Carlos will be crowned together with his wife, the queen consort Camilla.
When Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, more than 8,000 guests from 129 nations traveled to Westminster Abbey in central London, with temporary platforms built to seat guests, including all members of the British aristocracy.
The UK Foreign Office spent days designing the seating plan for the Queen’s funeral, taking into account diplomatic hierarchies and protocol.
traditional ceremony
The coronation ceremony itself is rich in tradition. The king is seated on a throne known as Edward’s Chair, holding the sovereign’s scepter and rod, to represent his constitutional control of the nation, and the sovereign’s orb, to represent the Christian world. After being anointed with oil, blessed and consecrated by the senior clergy, Carlos will have the crown of St. Edward placed on his head.
Named for the last Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Confessor, St Edward’s Crown is made of solid gold and features more than 400 precious stones, including rubies, garnets and sapphires. The version that will be used next year was originally made for Charles II in 1661, is 30 centimeters tall and weighs 2.23 kilograms. It is usually kept under surveillance in the Tower of London.
With information from Bloomberg.