By Lyla Shroff

The coronation of British monarch King Charles is set to take place on 6th May, 2023. The ceremony for the longest serving Prince of Wales will commence at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The event is not only expected to garner a large audience at the venue, but will also welcome thousands of viewers on television from across the globe. The last British royal coronation seen by the public was in 1953 when the late Queen Elizabeth was crowned as the monarch following the death of her father, King George VI. King Charles has been the heir to the throne for 70 years now; his long-awaited coronation will be a historical celebration with magnificent religious rituals. However, a large majority of the public are uncertain about what to expect from this royal event. We have compiled all the information that you need to know about the King’s Coronation to guide you through the days of celebration.

To understand the happenings of this event, we must know what exactly a coronation is. The term coronation derives from the Latin word ‘corona’ meaning a crown. However, a coronation symbolises so much more than just the handover of a crown from one monarch to another. It is a religious ritual that binds the monarchy, state, and church together. The monarch is meant to make sincere vows to the country and God.

A few important details

The coronation is said to start at 11:30 am BST (4:30 pm IST) and go on till 3 pm BST (7:30 pm IST).

The procession of the King will set off from Buckingham Palace at 10:20 am BST (2:50 pm IST) as he makes his way to Westminster Abbey. King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla will make their trip down in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, passing The Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, and Parliament street.

What to expect from the ceremony

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will be conducting the ceremony. The steps or rituals of the ceremony are the recognition, oath, anointing, investiture, crowning, and homage.

Certain traditional elements may be modified to reflect the modern and contemporary society but the essence of the rituals are sure to remain the same. The first ritual is the recognition that requires the sovereign to present himself to the public at the theatre of the abbey. He will then take the coronation oath which is a pledge towards a lawful rule, exercise of justice with mercy, and maintenance of the Church of England. The King will be seated in the coronation chair or the St. Edwards Chair.

After this, the Archbishop will anoint the monarch with holy oil. This ritual is considered the most sacred part of the ceremony and was not televised during the Queen’s coronation in 1953. It is during the investiture that the monarch is dressed in the sacred coronation robes and presented with the symbols of monarchy—i.e. the coronation ring, the orb, sceptres, and more. The crown used for this ceremony will be St. Edward’s Crown and it will be presented to the King towards the end of the ceremony. The service will be completed once the princes and peers pay their respects to the monarch as a part of the homage.

Camilla will then be anointed as the Queen Consort in a process that is similar to the Queen’s coronation in 1953. The King and Queen Consort will then return to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach. They will continue the tradition of greeting the public on the Buckingham Palace Balcony along with other members of the Royal Family.

Source: bbc.com

Which public figures are invited ?

The Royal family will be in attendance for the coronation and for the festivities that follow, this includes William, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Katherine, Princess of Wales, along with their three children. Prince William’s younger brother Harry, the Duke of Sussex will only be present for the ceremony, after which he will immediately return back to his wife and children (who will not be attending) in California. Several political figure such as Jill Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak will be in attendance along with monarchs of other countries, namely- Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, and more.

As for celebrities, the Coronation concert on 7 May 2023, will feature performances by Katy Perry, Olly Murs, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Jones, Bear Grylls, and many more. Bollywood’s very own- Sonam Kapoor will also perform a spoken word piece at this concert.

How must we see the live coronation ?

The entire ceremony will be televised on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The best way to watch the coronation would be via Youtube; several channels such as ABC, Sky News, and Fox News will be covering the event live. Keep your devices ready to tune in at 2:50 pm IST for the procession and 4:30 pm IST for the coronation!