In a once-in-a-generation event, King Charles III was crowned Britain’s new reigning monarch at London’s Westminster Abbey.
For the first time since the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, Britain crowned a new monarch.
“I come not to be served but to serve,” declared Charles, the new king of England, before world leaders, foreign royals, and celebrities in Britain’s greatest ceremonial event in seven decades.
Charles formally took the throne eight months after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth who reigned for an astonishing 70 years. He is the 40th monarch to be crowned in Westminster Abbey since its first establishment in the 11th century.
Ahead of the ceremony aristocrats, celebrities, and leaders from a variety of Britain's political parties amassed inside Westminster Abbey. Singers Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, who will perform in a concert organized to celebrate the coronation over the weekend, were among the ceremony’s congregation.
Among attendance was British prime minister Rishi Sunak, who read a passage from the bible, several of Sunak’s senior ministers, prime minister of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska (the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy), former British leaders including Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, and Tony Blair. United States’ first lady Jill Biden also attended.
The start of the procession was marked with the sound of bells ringing out and trumpets singing filling the Abbey. Thousands of spectators braved the dreary weather to follow the royals’ route to and from the Abbey.
In a golden carriage (known as the Diamond Jubilee State Coach) led by eight horses, Charles and Camilla began their procession toward the coronation from Buckingham Palace through Central London. In the background, a military band plays ‘God Save the King’.
The route to Westminster Abbey was lined with 1,000 other soldiers, sailors, and Royal Air Force personnel. The ‘Household Cavalry Regiment’, about 200 members of the British military mounted on horses, also took part in the procession.
When the royals arrived at the Abbey, the Jubilee was lined with Church officials and followed by an entourage of support staff dressed in red uniforms.
Upon entering the church, the choir greeted Charles in song followed by his grandson, Prince George. At the ripe age of 9, Prince George is now second in line to the throne. Today he serves his grandfather as a page garbed in a long red jacket and gloves.
The new monarch, robed in golden priest-like garb, took his seat in the 700-year-old magnificent Coronation Chair. This chair is a throne that was built in 1300 for Edward I when he added Scotland to his realm. It encloses the legendary Stone of Scone – dubbed the Stone of Destiny – and has been used at many coronations since the 14th century.
While seated Charles received a succession of symbolic objects: swords, scepters, and the Sovereign’s Orb. Each bejeweled item represents his mercy, justice, and power. Then, in the ceremony’s pivotal moment, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, placed the centuries-old St. Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head, signifying his coronation.
Moments later, Prince William knelt before his father as heir to the throne and swore his loyalty, pledging to serve as Charles’s “liege man of life and limb” – the same promise made by his grandfather Prince Philip to Elizabeth II, his wife, during her coronation in 1953.
The Prince of Wales gently touched the crown before bending down to kiss his dad’s cheek. Camilla was then anointed with holy oil and Queen Mary’s Crown was placed on her head.
Prince George along with three other young boys, hoisted the king’s purple robe over puddles as he entered the Jubilee for the 1.3-mile ride back to Buckingham Palace.
More than 4,000 military members joined the new king and queen in a grand parade back to Buckingham Palace. Charles, now wearing the priceless Imperial State Crown, and Camilla were seen chatting throughout the journey, occasionally breaking off their conversation to wave to the crowds.
Princess Anne, Charles’s sister, followed the elaborate 18th-century carriage on horseback as she led the troops in her ceremonial role as Gold Stick in Waiting, the king’s personal bodyguard. Immediately behind her rolled the Diamond Jubilee State Coach now containing William, Kate, and their children.
Amid the sea of spectators there were also anti-monarchy demonstrators who boo’ed the newly crowned king and queen of England. Groups like the ‘Republic’ (who wish to have the monarchy abolished) shouted “Down with the crown!” and “Not my King!” and waved yellow signs as the royal carriage passed by.
Aside from Prince Harry (who rushed home to California to join his son’s birthday celebration), two dozen members of the royal family gathered on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet the crowds.
Overhead, a two-minute military flyover featuring five waves of helicopters and a formation of Royal Air Force Red Arrows trailing the blue, white, and red colors of the national flag commenced. As Charles waved to the sea of people below him, the British national anthem sounded out one last time before he turned back inside the Palace balcony for a more private celebration.
