Carlos III was crowned this Saturday, May 6at Westminster Abbey as King of Great Britain and successor to Elizabeth II in the country’s first formal coronation ceremony in 70 years.
The monarch formally inaugurated the reign in the Coronation Chair after a private anointing by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, at the culmination of a ceremony that was attended by more than 2,000 guests.
The most anticipated day of Carlos III: he was crowned at the age of 74, although Diana said that he would never be king
Among the attendees were dozens of international dignitariesof the Government and the British opposition, as well as artists and personalities of British and international culture.
Charles III of England, 74 years old, held for the first and last time in his life the crown of Saint Edward, made in the 17th century for Charles II and thus succeeds his mother, the longest-serving monarch in more than 1,000 years .
The largest diamond in the world appeared at the coronation of Carlos III and Camilla
1. A small royal family waved from the palace balcony
After London noon, when the rains had not abated, the kings and the british royal family came out to the main balcony of Buckingham Palace after 2pm to wave to the crowd and watch a Royal Air Force flight go by.
The king chose 15 members of the royal family to accompany him in the appearance, among whom were neither his son Harry nor his brother, Andrew, because they are no longer working members of the monarchy. Meghan Markle, Harry’s wife, stayed in the United States with their children.
Photos: the “blended family” of Carlos III and Camila was present at the coronation
2. Crowds in the streets: some partying, others protesting
Thousands of people dyed the streets of central London red, white and blue on Saturday, carrying a sea of Union Jack flags and party wreaths to celebrate the coronation.
While the coronation service was itself a somber and sober affair, a celebratory atmosphere filled the British capital and beyond, despite the wet weather.
Camilla Parker Bowles, from clandestine lover to the Queen of England
On The Mall, outside Buckingham Palace, the most ardent royal fans kicked off the party hours before the ceremony began, some camping out for days to secure a prime spot.
As the royal procession passed on its way to Westminster Abbey, thousands of arms went up as people captured images of the king on their mobile phones.
But not everyone was in the mood to celebrate, with dozens of Republican protesters, many dressed in yellow and waving banners reading “Not My King”, gathering in Trafalgar Square.
“I’m here because I want to protest against this outdated monarchy, I want to protest because you shouldn’t be head of state based on who you were born to,” said Republican Jane, in her 30s.
Hours earlier, London’s Metropolitan Police arrested several organizers of the anti-monarchy group Republic, in an action denounced by Human Rights Watch as draconian and “alarming.”
Recent polls indicate a decline in support for the royals, especially among the young, but many royalists of all ages attended on Saturday, including 21-year-old Londoner Caba Mendes.
3. The biggest military parade has seen the UK in seven decades
The military parade back to the palace was twice the size of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, marking the largest military operation in 70 years.
The procession includes 6,000 members of the Armed Forces from across the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories, and all of the UK Armed Forces Services, along with the Sovereign’s Bodyguard and Royal Watermen.
Some 4,000 sailors, soldiers, airmen and other military personnel from across the UK and Commonwealth escorted the king and queen back to the palace. More than 1,000 members of the military, air force and navy will line the procession route.
4. The King’s Processions: An Uncomfortable Journey to the Palace
After the ceremony, Carlos III and Camilla left Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace. in the imposing 18th century Gold State Coach.
It is about the carriage that the deceased acquired in her coronation Queen Elizabeth II 70 years ago.
Six decades later, the queen confessed in an interview that traveling in the golden carriage was “horrible”, probably because the vehicle was suspended on leather straps and had no springs.
The carriage, which It does not have windows with electric windows, nor heating or damping, it was completed in 1762, it is 7 meters long, it weighs 4 tonsand she needs eight horses to pull her instead of six.
The beautiful carriage is made of wood, with a layer of gold leaf painted on top. It features painted panels of Roman gods and goddesses, while three cherubs on the ceiling symbolize England, Scotland and Ireland.
The Gold State Coach’s interior is just as impressive, with seats upholstered and draped in the finest velvet and satin fit for a king and queen.
Martin Oates, carriage restorer at the Royal Stables, who walked behind the carriage in the coronation procession to act as the “brake man”, said: “When you’re following it, you can hear it creak, so it sounds like an old galleon moving forward.”
5. Camilla was crowned with Queen Mary’s crown
The queen mary crown, from 1911it was used to crown Camilla’s queen consort, but does not contain the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond that originally formed its centerpiece.
Instead, the legendary stone, which India claims ownership of, was replaced with stones from the Cullinan diamond and from the royal collection.
It was the largest diamond ever mined when it was discovered in South Africa in 1905, weighing 621 grams in its uncut state.
The Transvaal government gave it to King Edward VII on his 66th birthday in 1907 as a gesture of reconciliation after the Second Boer War (1899-1902).
Queen Camilla also received an ivory graveyard during the ceremony, despite calls not to use by animal rights groups.
The cane, topped by a dove, has been used by all queen consorts at previous coronations since 1685. She will also carry a gold scepter surmounted by a cross.
6. The oath of the people to the king
All Britons were called to swear allegiance to King Charles III at his coronation, an oath reserved for centuries for British nobility.
During the ‘People’s Tribute’, the Archbishop of Canterbury called on all people in the UK and other places where King Charles is head of state to pledge allegiance.
The archbishop invited “all people of good will in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and in the other realms and territories, to pay homage, with their hearts and voices, to their unquestionable King, defender of all.”
The order of service reads: “All who so desire, in the abbey and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to His Majesty and to his heirs and successors in accordance with the law. May God help me.”
7. Prince William pledged allegiance in the “royal blood oath”
The eldest son of Charles and the late Diana, Prince William is now the heir to the throne, and as such he must pledge allegiance to his father.
Formerly the Duke of Cambridge and now the Prince of Wales, William is wildly popular and, along with his wife Catherine, give the image of a modern, close-knit couple with three young children.
In recent years, he has assumed an increasingly important role within the monarchy as his grandmother Elizabeth II was aging and his brother Harry moved to California with his wife, former American actress Meghan Markle.
8. Two crowns for a king
In the “Coronation” ritual, the Archbishop of Canterbury placed the Crown of Saint Edward on the King’s head, in the most impressive moment of the ceremony.
The piece that crowns Carlos is made of solid gold, includes 400 precious stones such as rubies and sapphires, weighs more than 2 kilograms and was made in 1661 for the coronation of Carlos II.
But when the ceremony was over, those present saw the king wearing a different crown: the Imperial State Crown, which is much lighter.
At the end of the ceremony, Carlos III wears the Imperial State Crown, which was commissioned for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and has 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires and 11 emeralds.
The second largest stone cut from the Cullinan diamond, the largest found in the worldadorns the front.
9. A moment alone with God: anointing, the most sacred and veiled ritual from the public
The king, seated in the Coronation Chair, was protected by a screen made for the occasion to be anointed, blessed and consecrated by the archbishop.
The oil that was produced to anoint the monarch is vegan for the first time, as the earlier anointing oil got ambergris from whale intestines.
The oil is animal-free and contains olive oil scented with sesame, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber, as well as orange blossom.
The consecrated oil is administered using a 12th century silver-gilt spoon that is the oldest artifact among the Crown Jewels.
The TOgold blistereither in the form of an eagle contains the consecrated oil used in coronation ceremonies. The eagle’s head comes off to allow oil to be poured into the bowl.
The design is based on the legend that the Virgin Mary appeared to English medieval saint Thomas Becket and gave him a golden eagle and oil to anoint future English kings.
10. Prince George fulfilled his role perfectly
At 9 years old, Prince George played a key role in his grandfather’s coronation, in a ritual that he himself is expected to star in in the future when he ascends to the British throne.
The son of Prince William and Princess Kate was one of four Pages of Honor chosen by the monarch to wear the coronation mantle, both at the beginning and at the end of the ceremony.
The other Pages of Honor of the king were sons of friends of Carlos: Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, Nicholas Barclay, also 13, and Ralph Tollemache, 12.
Queen Camilla’s Pages of Honor will be her grandsons Gus and Louis Lopes (sons of Laura Parker Bowles) and Freddy Parker Bowles (sons of Tom), as well as her nephew Arthur Elliot.
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