KING Charles III has said he did not come to be served but to serve as tens of thousands of people flocked to central London despite the rain to catch a glimpse of the new king and his wife Queen Camilla.
In his first remarks at his coronation ceremony on Saturday, May 6, Britain’s new monarch promised to set the tone for much of what is to come during his reign. He said, “I came not to be served, but to serve.”
King Charles will become Britain’s new monarch after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8, 2022.
Remember that Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth, has died aged 96 after 70 years on the throne. King Charles, Britain’s first new monarch in 70 years, was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday in a coronation ceremony that featured an eighth-century ritual with some modern twists.
How King Charles was crowned
74-year-old King Charles was crowned Britain’s new monarch on Saturday. He was anointed with holy oil to symbolize the divine nature of his reign and given the imperial mantle when the Archbishop of Canterbury placed the old St Edward’s crown on his head.
After the ceremony, Charles and his wife, the newly crowned Queen Camilla, are expected to return to Buckingham Palace in the golden stagecoach used by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, for the coronation procession. Charles and his wife traveled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, escorted by four divisions of the Household Cavalry.
part crowning
The coronation will be followed by a procession of 19 military personnel and 4,000 soldiers for a kilometer from the palace gates. From the balcony, the King and his family will watch more than 60 aircraft – fighter jets, helicopters and vintage Second World War Spitfires – roar overhead as is customary to end the royal celebrations.
Highlights of King Charles’ coronation ceremony
During the service, King Charles vowed to maintain the Church of England despite the Archbishop of Canterbury, most priests. Justin Welby urged the king to “create an environment where people of all faiths can live freely”.
It is one of several modifications to the liturgy as the church and Buckingham Palace seek to adapt the 1,000-year-old service to today’s ecumenical world.
Around 2,300 people reportedly attended the ceremony, which included new faces, old blood, world leaders, pop icons and more – a narrow circle that reflects Charles’ efforts to embrace a modern, multicultural Britain as well as the monarchy’s dynastic identity. After years of family tension, Prince Harry attended his father’s coronation alone.
Harry’s wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was at their California home with the couple’s children Prince Archie, who turns four on Saturday, and Princess Lilibeth, one.