The new king will be crowned in a religious ceremony followed by two days of celebrations across the country.
The sequence of the ceremony was refined and rehearsed for weeks. Eight months after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III will be crowned on Saturday May 6, in London (United Kingdom), in front of more than 2,000 guests – including a hundred heads of state – gathered at Westminster Abbey. Tens of thousands of people are also expected in the streets of the British capital to hope to see the royal couple in the coach that will take them to the ceremony. Without counting on the millions of viewers who will follow this coronation in front of their screen. The United Kingdom is therefore preparing to experience three days of celebrations, seventy years after the coronation of Elizabeth II.
Saturday May 6: Coronation Day
Before the ceremony. The festivities will begin with a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. Charles III and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles will leave the royal palace at 11.20 a.m. (French time) aboard the Diamond Jubilee coach, a modern model (and even air-conditioned), towed by six horses, created in 2012 for the 60 years of reign of Elizabeth II. They will be escorted by 200 members of the armed forces, according to the BBC*. The public will be able to attend this procession, along a two-kilometre route, or follow it on one of the giant screens installed in the British capital.
During the ceremony. It should start at noon (French time) and should last two hours. The Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England, will chair it. The first to enter the Gothic abbey will be representatives of various religions and the fifteen Commonwealth kingdoms, followed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty. The head of the British government must also read a passage from the Bible during the ceremony, according to the program published by the Church of England*.
The coronation itself will take place in several stages. Once he has taken the oath, the symbols of royal power – scepters, golden spurs, royal robe… – will be presented to Charles III. Then he will receive the holy chrism, a holy oil. Finally, the Archbishop of Canterbury will crown him with the crown of Saint Edward, a jewel weighing more than 2 kg worn by Elizabeth II. The 74-year-old monarch will then settle into the royal throne.
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Contrary to tradition, the nobles present will not all kneel before the king in a sign of homage, only Prince William, the eldest son of Charles III, will perform this age-old gesture. Another novelty, all the assistance and the public following the ceremony from a distance will also be invited to pledge allegiance to the new king. Camilla Parker Bowles will then take the oath in turn, before being crowned with the crown of Queen Mary, created for the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.
The British royal family specifies that 2,000 people have been invited. If the absence of Meghan Markle has been widely commented on, her husband Prince Harry will be present. At nine years old, Prince George, eldest son of William and Kate Middleton, will be one of the four children responsible for following the king. European crowned heads will also appear in the audience, such as Prince Albert of Monaco, King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia, the King of Sweden or the Japanese princely couple.
In the political department, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron will attend the event, like Jill Biden, the wife of the President of the United States. According to the BBC *, the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, could also come. Civil society will also be represented, in particular by 400 young people from charitable associations who will follow the ceremony from the Sainte-Marguerite chapel, close to the royal abbey.
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After the ceremony. Before leaving the abbey, Charles III swapped the crown of Saint Edward for the lighter imperial ceremonial crown. To return to the presidential palace, from 2 p.m. (French time), the royal couple will take the same route as on the outward journey, but with another vehicle *, and a larger escort. Charles and Camilla will board the Gold State Coach, an 18th century carriage drawn by eight horses.
Other members of the royal family will take part in this procession, which will be escorted by around 4,000 servicemen, as well as representatives of the Commonwealth and the royal legion. The Crown specifies that the royal couple will then follow tradition by greeting the crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, before a flypast concludes this coronation day.
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Sunday May 7: festive picnics and giant concert
The day after the coronation, the royal couple invite their subjects to organize convivial lunches between neighbors. Charles III wants to highlight a charitable initiative in which Camilla Parker Bowles has invested in recent years, The Big Lunch, which aims to create social ties by organizing meals and picnics. For those who lack inspiration, the Crown has shared a vegetarian quiche recipe (a reference to the ecological commitment displayed by Charles III) on its official website*.
In the evening, at 8 p.m., a special concert is scheduled for Windsor Castle, west London, in front of 20,000 people, including 10,000 volunteers drawn by lot. The show, which will see the group Take That, crooner Lionel Ritchie, popstar Katy Perry, opera singer Andrea Bocelli and actor Tom Cruise, among other celebrities, on stage, will be broadcast live by the BBC. There will also be a performance by the Royal Ballet, the Royal Opera, and even some theater with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Monday May 8: a national public holiday
The British will be able to take advantage of a public holiday thanks to Charles III because this day has been declared a holiday by the British government*, as for the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. The royal family calls on the British to dedicate this day to solidarity , by volunteering in charitable projects near their homes. Partner of this event, the NGO The Big Help Out has planned many activities throughout the country.
* Links marked with an asterisk refer to pages in English.