Pomp, Pageantry and (Subdued) Protest: King Charles III Is Crowned in Lavish Coronation
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King Charles III has been officially crowned.
In a day of meticulously organized pomp, tradition, ritual and royal pageantry that, for Charles, had been coming since birth, the grand and archaic spectacle — one that saw him anointed with holy oil and made to swear the oath of kings before the Archbishop of Canterbury to a loud cry of “God Save the King!” — took place at a special service London’s Westminster Abbey. It was here where Queen Elizabeth was crowned almost 70 years ago to the day, on June 2, 1953. Charles, now 74, was 4 years old at the time.
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The day began with a procession — known as The King’s Procession — escorting the King and Queen Consort Camilla from Buckingham Palace via a golden horse-drawn coach to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation Service.
Among the 2,300 in attendance were more than 100 heads of state, British political leaders old and new, and Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. (The latter two are due to perform at a special coronation concert on May 7.)
Following the service, the King — joined by other members of the royal family — returned to Buckingham Palace in a much larger procession, this time known as The Ceremonial Procession, which involved 7,000 troops and 19 military bands — the most at any state occasion since the 1953 coronation.
Media lenses hoping to capture any interactions between Prince Harry, who only recently was revealed as an attendee (and without Meghan Markle, who remains in L.A. with their children), and his father, mother-in-law or brother Prince William following the revelations from his Netflix documentary, autobiography, and subsequent interviews, were left disappointed.
As a guest without any formal role, Harry wasn’t seen with his family and wasn’t present at the traditional appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, where Charles and Camilla — both wearing their crowns — waved to the crowds. Also present as a guest was Prince Andrew, who sat in the same row as Harry and wasn’t on the balcony. The disgraced royal — who was stripped of his royal duties following sexual abuse allegations — was, however, allowed to wear ceremonial robes for the service. (Harry, meanwhile, wore a suit.)
The coronation, which marks three full days of activity (Monday has been made an official public holiday), has divided opinion across the U.K. Waning enthusiasm for the new King, whose popularity is markedly lower than that of his mother, has seen only 7 percent of British adults describe themselves as “committed royalists” according to recent research, and 58 percent not interested in the royal family. Meanwhile, a mere 9 percent say they care “a great deal” about the weekend’s events.
But much of the debate has centered on the cost of the lavish event — £250 million ($286 million) — being paid for by the British taxpayer at a time when the cost of living crisis has pushed many into poverty. Charles is already King — a title he inherited the second Queen Elizabeth passed away last year, and the fact this archaic event hasn’t been scaled down to reflect the current times, or even financed by the royal family itself, has left a sour taste in the mouths of some. For others, however, maintaining the spectacle of this grand royal occasion is a source of great national pride, and thousands lined the streets for the procession.
Before the coronation had even started, a number of Republican activists who were planning peaceful protests were arrested “on suspicion of breaching the peace” by London’s Metropolitan Police, who also confiscated hundreds of placards.
“Our tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low,” the police said earlier in the week. “We will deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining this celebration.”
Mother Nature’s attitude toward the monarchy may be unknown. Still, following almost a week of sunshine, the day featured persistent rain, with the bad weather forcing the Royal Air Force to scale back its military flypast. Rain has now reportedly been a feature of the previous four coronation days, including in 1953.
This story was originally published on Saturday, May 6, at 2:32 a.m.
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