The great day of Charles III. This Saturday, May 6, 2023, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip was crowned at Westminster Abbey, 70 years after his mother. In front of an assembly of 2,300 guests, from all over the world and made up of crowned heads, personalities and anonymous people, the sovereign received the crown of Saint Edward and the anointing of the Archbishop of Canterbury. A historic day that you can relive with the editorial staff of Planet.
For the first time since 1953, Britons and the rest of the world witnessed the coronation of a new monarch at Westminster Abbey. How did the day go? Here are the essential things to know about Operation Golden Orb.
This live is now over. Planet’s editorial team thanks you for following this historic day with them. You can find all of the highlights below.
If the coronation is over, the festivities are not! A concert is indeed scheduled for Sunday, May 7 in the evening at Windsor Castle, with Katy Perry and Lionel Richie as headliners. Monday, May 8 will be exceptionally a holiday across the Channel (the date is not usually), so that the British can help associations, according to the wishes of Charles III.
Only active members of the royal family, that is to say those who take concrete action on behalf of the Firm, were present. Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children, Prince Edward, his wife and their children, Princess Anne and her husband, the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
King Charles III, Queen Camilla and working members of the Royal Family introduced themselves to the crowd on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Crowds were admitted outside Buckingham Palace, before the Royal Family appeared on the balcony.
Prince William, successor to the throne of his father, his wife Kate Middleton and their three children were present in a carriage which followed that of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Newly crowned King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave Westminster Abbey for another royal procession, which will take them to Buckingham Palace. This time, it is the golden carriage that they use, drawn by eight horses.
Read also – Coronation of Charles III: all the personalities present
For his first appearance after the coronation, with new clothes and the imperial crown, King Charles III is greeted by the guests present in the abbey. All sing the national anthem: God save the King.
After the coronation, the mass continued. Charles III and Camilla notably received communion from the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Prince Charles’ wife was anointed and crowned queen. She is no longer queen consort, but queen.
On behalf of the entire royal family, Prince William pledged allegiance to his father, King Charles III.
King Charles III is crowned. “God save the king” resounds in the abbey and cannonballs are fired from the Tower of London. The bells of Westminster ring for two minutes.
The king was anointed on the head, on the heart and on the palms of both hands. This sacred and secret moment is now over and the king is dressed in a silk and gold tunic. According to tradition, after the anointing, he is reborn as after baptism, passing from extreme destitution to wealth.
The anointing of Charles III With holy oil will be hidden from all. After taking his place in St Edward’s Chair, the monarch will be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Before that, he was stripped of his cloak, to appear before the archbishop. Large screens hide this moment from guests and cameras.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak read a passage from the Bible, the Epistle to the Colossians, from the New Testament. A highlight because the head of government is a Hindu and thus takes part in a mass according to the Anglican rite.
After taking the oath on the Bible, King Charles III read a personal prayer, before resuming his place in the chair of state, alongside Camilla. The third stage of the coronation, one of the most important and which is the anointing, will begin after religious songs.
After recognition by the people, King Charles III takes an oath on the Bible. This is the second stage of the coronation ceremony. “I, Charles, bear witness and solemnly and sincerely declare before God that I am a faithful Protestant,” he said.
The first stage of the ceremony is that of recognition, during which the “people” recognize the new sovereign.
The eldest son of Charles III and his wife entered the abbey in turn, following the king.
Charles III has just entered Westminster Abbey. He sketched a smile, having become slightly annoyed while waiting in his carriage.
That’s it ! The coronation ceremony of Charles III will begin this Saturday, May 6. The monarch is about to get out of his carriage.
King Charles III and Camilla have just arrived at Westminster Abbey after the royal procession, part of Buckingham Palace. On the images broadcast by the British media, the monarch seemed annoyed…
Prince Andrew arrived at Westminster Abbey at the same time as Prince Harry. He was followed moments later by Prince Andrew and then Princess Anne.
Charles III’s youngest son, Prince Harry, has arrived at Westminster Abbey with his cousins, Princesses Batrice and Eugenie of York. He arrived before the rest of the royal family and will not play a special role during the ceremony.
Since the beginning of the preparations for the ceremony, a question arises: what will King Charles III wear? Will it be traditional, including silk stockings or more modern? The suspense will last until the monarch gets out of his carriage… At 11:53 a.m. precisely.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla boarded their carriage, the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, dressed in their state coats. The journey between the Palace and Westminster Abbey should take 30 minutes. In the cars following the couple are members of the royal family.
Former Prime Ministers John Major (1990 – 1997), Tony Blair (1997 – 2007) and David Cameron (2010 – 2016) arrived at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III.
In a statement, the head of the organization in the United Kingdom, Yasmine Ahmed, denounces the “incredibly worrying” arrests of six anti-monarchy activists. “Reports of people being arrested for peacefully protesting the coronation are incredibly disturbing. It’s something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London,” she adds.
The President of the Republic and his wife Brigitte Macron arrived around 10:50 a.m. at Westminster Abbey this Saturday, May 6. The first lady wore a dusty pink dress and matching coat. The French couple did not arrive through the main entrance, but through another.
Guests from foreign royal houses, but also international political leaders, are beginning to arrive at Westminster Abbey. In particular, we were able to see the American first lady Jill Biden, alongside her granddaughter Finnegan Biden. Among the British political figures present are also Suella Braveman – Home Secretary – and James Clevely, Foreign Secretary.
On the international political side, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived at Westminster Abbey, along with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Not all the guests have arrived at Westminster Abbey yet, but the choir – accompanied by an orchestra – has begun singing. Music holds a very important place in this coronation ceremony, especially when Charles III will be anointed with holy oil, a moment that will be hidden from everyone’s eyes.
London police announced in the morning the arrest of six people during an anti-monarchy demonstration. “Not my King” placards were held up by these activists earlier in the day. They were seized by the police.
King Charles III and his wife Camilla left their Clarence House residence to reach Buckingham Palace by car. The crowd present near the palace, which did not necessarily expect to see the monarch so early in the morning, cheered the couple. The king and queen consort will now put on their coronation robes, before boarding the carriage that will take them to Westminster Abbey from 11:20 a.m.
Rainy coronation, happy coronation? Skies are gray over London this Saturday, May 6, and at 10 a.m. a few drops are beginning to fall on spectators and guests, who continue to arrive at Westminster Abbey. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was also crowned in the rain…
King Charles III will be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England, Justin Welby.
After several months of suspense, Prince Harry announced in April that he would come to his father’s coronation, but without his wife Meghan Markle, who remains in the United States with their two children. Will the youngest son of King Charles III be seated next to his brother Prince William and his sister-in-law Kate Middleton? A highly anticipated appearance after the publication of his book, The Substitute, in which he criticizes the royal family and returns in particular to a violent argument with his older brother.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak posted a message on Twitter ahead of the ceremony, saying “a new era has dawned” and evoking a moment of “extraordinary national pride”. “It’s not just a show, it’s an expression of our history, our culture and our traditions,” he adds.
The procession of King Charles III will be one of the highlights of this day of May 6. The king will leave Buckingham Palace in a carriage to reach Westminster Abbey during a journey of approximately 2 kilometers. 7,000 soldiers will take part in this moment and the head of the organization of the coronation, quoted by several British media, promised the public a “glorious spectacle”. Tens of thousands of Britons will be present along the route to greet King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The official ceremony will begin at 12 p.m. French time, but that will not be the only moment to follow today. Here is the schedule, with Paris timetables:
As the BBC reports, the first guests at Charles III’s coronation – numbering 2,300 in all – arrive at Westminster Abbey. According to the British media, it is mainly members of the House of Lords. The ceremony begins at 12 p.m. French time.
Hello and welcome to this live. Throughout the day, we will follow the coronation of Charles III, 70 years after that of Elizabeth II. The Queen’s eldest son – who died last September aged 94 – wanted a ceremony that was shorter, more inclusive and more modern than his mother’s in the 1950s.
