06-05-2023 : On a rainy Saturday, King Charles III has officially crowned the King of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in a solemn religious ceremony that dates back almost a thousand years. The ceremony was reminiscent of the coronation of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, 70 years ago. The event was marked by spectacular pomp and pageantry, with the Imperial State Crown being placed on the King’s head. The ceremony began with Charles taking an oath of service before the Archbishop of Canterbury opened the service. The service included a reading by Britain’s first Hindu Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Part of the sacred ceremony involved Charles and his wife Camilla being symbolically re-married in the eyes of God to take on the oath of service together. The Throne Chairs used during the enthroning were made for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in May 1937, and Westminster Abbey has been the site of every British Coronation since that of William The Conqueror in 1066. The service was themed “Called to Serve,” and faith leaders and representatives of the Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist, and Jewish communities processed through the Abbey ahead of the service.
Following a regal procession riding in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach bearing a gilded crown, the King and Queen made their way to the Abbey from Buckingham Palace, accompanied by military personnel on foot and on horseback. The streets of central London were lined with thousands of well-wishers waving flags, alongside some groups of protesters who campaign for the abolition of the monarchy and have organized #NotMyKing protests at Trafalgar Square. There were some reports of arrests of protesters as they allegedly tried to disrupt the procession.
Once at the Abbey, the King was greeted by a congregation of around 2,200 – made up of heads of state and government, worldwide royalty as well as community champions. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Dr. Sudesh Dhankhar represented India on the historic occasion and were seated alongside other Commonwealth Heads of State. The religious ceremony was made up of five key stages: the Recognition; the Oath; the Anointing; the Investiture and Crowning; and the Enthronement and Homage.
Queen Camilla wore Queen Mary’s crown, which was designed for the coronation of June 1911. The modern version designed for 75-year-old Camilla is minus the Kohinoor and made of a silver frame, lined with gold, and set with 2,200 diamonds, mainly brilliant-cut with some rose-cut. While she was “anointed” with holy oil in full public view, Charles was anointed behind a cloth screen depicting a central design of a tree with branches filled with 56 leaves representing the Commonwealth of nations – including one of the leaves dedicated to India. The holy Chrism oil consecrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was symbolically touched to the monarch’s head, chest and hands as part of the religious ceremony.
The ceremony at the Abbey concluded with the chiming of Abbey bells, and the newly crowned King and Queen made their way to another waiting horse-drawn historic Gold State Coach. Once back at the palace, the couple received a Royal Salute from the UK and some Commonwealth realm Armed Forces who were on parade that day. They then appeared on the iconic balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave at gathered crowds and witness a Royal Air Force (RAF) flypast. The RAF Aerobatic Team – the Red Arrows – followed dozens of aircraft used by the Armed Forces on operations around the world. Featured amongst the aerial procession were aircraft that delivered support to Ukraine and supported disaster relief. Overall, the ceremony was a grand and historic occasion that marked the beginning of King Charles III’s reign.