(The Associated Press) — King Charles III, a man who waited almost 74 years to become King, was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey with all the pomp and pageantry Britain could muster.
The King had taken an oath to govern the people of the United Kingdom with “justice and mercy” and to foster an environment where people of all faiths and beliefs can live freely. The oath was the second of five elements of the historic coronation rite that is rooted in more than 1,000 years of tradition.
Charles said he was willing to take the oath, and after placing his hand on the Bible, he solemnly promised to do so. He later kissed the holy book.
Westminster Abbey buzzed with excitement and was abloom with fragrant flowers and colourful hats as guests arrived two hours before the ceremony began.
Streaming into the abbey were celebrities such as Judi Dench, Emma Thompson and Lionel Richie, alongside politicians, judges in wigs, soldiers with gleaming medals attached to red tunics and members of the House of Lords in their red robes.
Dignitaries and world leaders in attendance included U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and eight current and former British prime ministers.
About 4,000 troops will march to Buckingham Palace in the post-ceremony procession, making it Britain’s biggest military parade in 70 years. Bringing up the rear will be the newly crowned King and Queen in a 261-year-old carriage gilded from nose to tail in glittering gold.
Tens of thousands of people amassed in central London in the rain, and loud cheers erupted among wellwishers lining The Mall, the grand avenue leading to the palace, as Charles and Camilla were seen waving from within their Bentley as their motorcade arrived at Buckingham Palace.
The couple then left the palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, and after a two-kilometre journey, arrived at Westminster Abbey, where they were crowned.
Heir to the throne Prince William, his wife, Kate, and their three children were all in attendance. William’s younger brother Prince Harry, who has publicly sparred with the family, arrived alone. His wife Meghan and their children remained at home in California.
The anti-monarchy group Republic said six of its members, including chief executive Graham Smith, were arrested near Trafalgar Square in central London as they prepared to protest the coronation.
On the south side of the square, thousands swelled behind the mental fencing along the procession route. In the middle of the crowd, dozens of anti-monarchy protesters, who held tall yellow banners that read “not my king” which they frequently chanted.
Some of those in the crowd shouted back, “Yes, he is,” or “My king, and I am proud of him.”
Thousands decked out in their finest Union Jack attire, along with rain coats and ponchos easily drowned out the noise from the protest, but were irritated that the demonstrators were taking up prime space and blocking whatever view their was with their flags.
“They can protest, but they can’t hold their flag,” shouted Karen from Devon, southwest England.
‘People will stop and stare’
“Even in a world where people are sated with on-demand entertainment, people will stop and stare,” said Michael Cole, a former BBC royal correspondent, “because it will be a spectacular procession and a ritual, a ceremony, unlike anything that occurs anywhere in the world.”
But like the best dramas, it’s a show with a message.
For 1,000 years and more, British monarchs have been crowned in grandiose ceremonies that confirm their right to rule. Although the King no longer has executive or political power, he remains the U.K.’s head of state and a symbol of national identity.
At a time when double-digit inflation is making everyone in the U.K. poorer, Charles is keen to show that he can still be a unifying force in a multicultural nation that is very different from the one that greeted his mother.
So this will be a shorter, less formal affair than the three-hour coronation for Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1953, Westminster Abbey was fitted with temporary stands to boost the seating capacity to more than 8,000, aristocrats wore crimson robes and coronets, and the coronation procession meandered eight kilometres through central London so an estimated three million people could cheer for the glamorous 25-year-old Queen.
Pared-down ceremony
Organizers cut Charles’s service to less than two hours and sent out 2,300 invitations. Aristocrats were told to avoid ceremonial dress and the procession will travel a shorter, direct route back to Buckingham Palace from the abbey. This follows Charles’s instructions for a pared-down ceremony as he seeks to create a smaller, less expensive royal machine for the 21st century.
Charles scrapped the traditional moment at the end of the service when nobles were asked to kneel and pledge their loyalty to the king. Instead, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will invite everyone in the abbey and people watching on television to swear “true allegiance” to the monarch.
The pledge has sparked debate in Britain, with some observers suggesting it was a tone-deaf effort to demand public support for Charles. Welby responded by saying it wasn’t a command and people can decide for themselves whether to take part.
Almost 20 per cent of the population in the U.K. now come from ethnic minority groups, compared with less than one per cent in the 1950s. More than 300 languages are spoken in British schools, and less than half of the population describe themselves as Christian.
Although organizers say the coronation remains a “sacred Anglican service,” the ceremony will for the first time include the active participation of other faiths, including representatives of the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh traditions.
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivered a reading from the New Testament of the Bible.
Officials have said that although Sunak is a Hindu, he is reading as prime minister so there is no issue over his personal faith during the Anglican service.
