A Complete Manual for the Coronation of King Charles III
The UK and beyond are gearing up for the coronation of King Charles III, a grand ceremony that unites religion and pageantry. The event will occur on May 6th at Westminster Abbey, where Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will be crowned. Since 1066, 40 reigning monarchs have been crowned at Westminster Abbey, making this a historic occasion.
The day will be filled with grandeur and formality, showcasing customs that have existed for over 1,000 years. Here is what you can expect from this extraordinary event.
A procession will commence from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey to kick off the formal festivities. Spectators can glimpse the procession along the route, with viewing areas set to open at 6:00 AM BST.
Access to public areas along The Mall and Whitehall will operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Once these areas reach capacity, attendees will be directed to official screening sites in Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James’s Park.
Invited guests, including armed forces veterans, NHS, and social care staff, will be seated in stands erected outside Buckingham Palace.
On Saturday morning, just under 200 armed forces members – mostly from the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry – will gather to participate in the Westminster Abbey procession. Additionally, around 1,000 service personnel will line the route. However, this procession will be smaller than its 1953 equivalent, which included other royal families and Commonwealth prime ministers.
Procession begins
The procession will begin from Buckingham Palace, traveling along The Mall towards Trafalgar Square. It will then move down Whitehall and Parliament Street before turning onto Parliament Square and Broad Sanctuary, ultimately arriving at the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey.
In a departure from tradition, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will ride in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach rather than the older and less comfortable Gold State Coach.
The procession is anticipated to reach Westminster Abbey just before 11:00, where King Charles is expected to wear military attire instead of his predecessors’ traditional breeches and silk stockings.
It is possible that King Charles will wear a military uniform similar to the one he wore during his mother’s committal service last year. In contrast, his grandfather, George VI, wore breeches and stockings during his coronation.
Upon arrival at Westminster Abbey, King Charles will enter through the Great West Door and make his way through the nave until he reaches the central area of the abbey.
Preceding King Charles will be processions consisting of faith leaders and representatives, as well as representatives from various Commonwealth nations who will carry their country’s flags. These individuals will be accompanied by governors-general and prime ministers, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The ceremony begins at 11:00. It will be accompanied by music chosen by the King, including 12 newly commissioned pieces, including one by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Greek Orthodox music in memory of the King’s father, Prince Philip.
Prince George, the King’s grandson, will be one of the pages at Westminster Abbey. Camilla’s grandchildren, Lola, Eliza, Gus, Louis, and Freddy, will also be present. Some individuals participating in the procession within the abbey will carry the regalia ahead of the King, with most items placed on the altar until required during the ceremony.
What is the regalia?
As stated on the Royal Family’s official website, the use of regalia – such as the crown, orb, and scepters – is exclusive to the UK during European coronations. These objects have different symbolic meanings, each representing the various duties and roles of the monarch.
During the ceremony, King Charles III will receive the Sovereign’s Orb, the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove, and other items at significant moments.
The Queen Consort Camilla will also be presented with regalia during the coronation ceremony. She will receive the Queen Consort’s Rod with Dove and the Queen Consort’s Sceptre with Cross, similar to the ones presented to the King.
Phase One: Acknowledgment"
The first stage of the coronation ceremony will be the acknowledgment of King Charles as the rightful king. This is a tradition that dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will stand beside the ancient Coronation Chair and turn to both sides of the abbey to proclaim Charles as the “unequivocal King.” After this, the congregation will be asked to show their homage and service.
After being presented to the people, King Charles will stand beside the Coronation Chair, an ancient piece of furniture used for the coronation of 26 monarchs. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will then proclaim Charles as the “undoubted King” and ask the congregation to show their homage and service. In response, the congregation will shout, “God Save the King!” and trumpets will sound to mark the occasion.
The Coronation Chair, also known as St Edward’s Chair or King Edward’s Chair, has a fascinating history. It was initially constructed by order of King Edward I of England to encase the Stone of Destiny, a symbol of the Scottish monarchy. The stone was removed from Scotland and placed in the chair, which was then used in the coronations of English monarchs. The stone was returned to Scotland in 1996 but will be returned to London for the upcoming coronation ceremony.
During the ceremony, the oak chair is placed in the center of the Cosmati pavement, a historic medieval mosaic floor, facing the High Altar to emphasize the religious significance of the event.
Next comes "Stage Two":
The Oath.” As per legal requirement, the Archbishop of Canterbury will administer the Coronation Oath to King Charles. He will ask the King to confirm his commitment to upholding the law and the Church of England throughout his reign while placing his hand on the Holy Gospels. The King will pledge to “perform and keep” these promises. King Charles may also acknowledge the various faiths practiced in Britain, although this is not confirmed and may not be part of the oath itself.
Step Three: The Anointing:
In this phase, the King’s ceremonial robe will be removed, and he will sit in the Coronation Chair to be anointed, highlighting the monarch’s spiritual position as the head of the Church of England.
The Archbishop will pour unique oil from the Ampulla. This golden flask has its roots in an earlier version linked to St. Thomas a Becket’s legendary encounter with the Virgin Mary in the 12th century. The Archbishop will use the oil to anoint the King’s head, breast, and hands as a cross.
The Ampulla was originally created for Charles II’s coronation, while the Coronation Spoon is much older, having survived Oliver Cromwell’s regalia destruction following the English Civil War.
Step Three: The Anointing:
This is the most important part of the ceremony when King Charles will wear St Edward’s Crown, which will be the only time he wears it.
The crown was named after a previous version made for Edward the Confessor, an Anglo-Saxon king and saint. It was said to have been used in coronations after 1220 until Cromwell melted it down.
King Charles II commissioned the creation of this crown because he desired a crown similar to Edward’s but even more grandiose.
King Charles III will be only the seventh monarch to wear the St Edward’s Crown, after Charles II, James II, William III, George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II, who wore it during her own coronation in 1953. Before the crowning moment, the King will be presented with several items, including the Sovereign’s Orb, the Coronation Ring, the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will place the St Edward’s Crown on the King’s head while trumpets sound and gun salutes are fired across the UK. A 62-round salute will be fired at the Tower of London, while a six-gun salvo will be fired at Horse Guards Parade. Additionally, 21 rounds will be fired at 11 other locations in the UK, including Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, as well as on Royal Navy ships deployed for the occasion.
The fifth and final stage
The fifth and final stage of the ceremony is the enthronement, which marks the official beginning of the King’s reign. It is customary for the King to take his seat on the throne, and he may be lifted into it by the kingdom’s archbishop, bishops, and peers.
In the past, it was typical for royals and peers to pay homage by kneeling before the new King, swearing allegiance, and kissing his right hand. However, only Prince William, as a Royal Duke, is expected to pay homage to King Charles III.
The Consort Queen
Following the homage, Camilla, the Consort Queen, will be crowned and anointed in a more straightforward ceremony, which does not involve taking an oath.
She will wear Queen Mary’s Crown, which was originally created for the coronation of George V and Queen Mary. However, the crown will be modified by removing some of its arches and resetting it with diamonds, including the Cullinan III, IV, and V.
The Grand Exit
The exit marks the end of the coronation ceremony. King Charles III and Queen Camilla will leave their thrones and might make their way to St Edward’s Chapel. Here, the King will replace St Edward’s Crown with the Imperial State Crown. As they exit the abbey, the national anthem will play, and they will be accompanied by the peers of the realm, senior clergy, and other dignitaries in a grand procession.
Following the grand procession, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will travel back to Buckingham Palace in the iconic Gold State Coach, which has been used in every coronation since 1831, including William IV’s coronation 260 years ago. The route will be the reverse of the one taken on their way to Westminster Abbey earlier in the day.
It has been reported that the three children of the Prince of Wales, including Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, will accompany their parents in a carriage positioned behind the Gold State Coach during the procession back to Buckingham Palace.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the upcoming coronation is expected to involve the largest military ceremonial operation in a generation, with close to 4,000 members of the UK’s armed forces participating.
Uniforms on display for procession
The procession will also include representatives from the Commonwealth nations and the British Overseas Territories. In addition, a 100-member guard of honor will be provided by the Royal British Legion to line the procession route in Parliament Square.
Parade Route for King Charles III and Queen Camilla's Coronation
The procession route for the upcoming coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla covers a distance of 1.42 miles (2.29 km), starting from the abbey and leading into the palace grounds. As the King and Queen pass by, they will be greeted with a Royal Salute and three cheers from the military personnel on parade.
It’s worth noting that during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, the procession route was more than four miles long, and it took 45 minutes for the whole procession to pass a single point. However, King Charles III’s coronation route will be shorter and more streamlined, focusing on precision and grandeur.
Buckingham Palace Balcony Greeting
Following tradition since the coronation of Edward VII in 1902, the newly crowned monarch will appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet the crowds gathered in The Mall. The Queen was accompanied by her mother, children, and sister, among other royal family members, during her coronation in 1953, when a fly-past featuring hundreds of planes was organized to honor the occasion.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles and Queen Camilla will continue greeting the public from the Buckingham Palace balcony after the coronation. However, it is not yet clear which members of the Royal Family will join them. The public will witness the conclusion of the day’s festivities with a six-minute fly-past performed by the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force members, ending with an impressive display by the Red Arrows.