The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey. Photograph by Richard Pohle
Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, leaves Westminster Abbey following the coronation ceremony of Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla, in London, Britain May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Queen Camilla departs the Coronation service of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Britain’s King Charles III wearing the Imperial state Crown carrying the Sovereign’s Orb and Sceptre leaves Westminster Abbey after the Coronation Ceremonies in central London on May 6, 2023. – The set-piece coronation is the first in Britain in 70 years, and only the second in history to be televised. Charles will be the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at the central London church since King William I in 1066. Outside the UK, he is also king of 14 other Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. (Photo by Ben Stansall / POOL / AFP)
The Prince of Wales kisses his father King Charles III during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London. Picture date: Saturday May 6, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story ROYAL Coronation. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: King Charles III and Queen Camilla travelling in the Gold State Coach built in 1760 and used at every Coronation since that of William IV in 1831sets off from Westminster Abbey on route to Buckingham Palace during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
King Charles III wearing St Edward’s Crown during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London. Picture date: Saturday May 6, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story ROYAL Coronation. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Queen Camilla is crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown by The Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Justin Welby during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: King Charles III departs the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Queen Camilla departs the Coronation service of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey. Photograph by Richard Pohle
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Katy Perry takes selfies with guests during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis arrive ahead of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Dan Charity – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Britain’s Queen Camilla leaves Westminster Abbey following the coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
King Charles III wearing the St Edward’s Crown and Queen Camilla wearing the Queen Mary’s Crown during their coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London. Picture date: Saturday May 6, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story ROYAL Coronation. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Queen Camilla is crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown during her coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London. Picture date: Saturday May 6, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story ROYAL Coronation. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: (left to right) Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis the Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales, leaving the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
On May 6th, 2023, a grand royal ceremony took place at Westminster Abbey to crown King Charles III and Queen Camilla as the new monarchs.
The 74-year-old ascended to the throne upon the death of his mother, who passed away in September 2022. The 96-year-old was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Charles was proclaimed Britain’s monarch two days later in an ascension ceremony broadcast for the first time on television.
Britain’s King Charles III wearing the Imperial state Crown carrying the Sovereign’s Orb and Sceptre leaves Westminster Abbey after the Coronation Ceremonies in central London on May 6, 2023. – The set-piece coronation is the first in Britain in 70 years, and only the second in history to be televised. Charles will be the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at the central London church since King William I in 1066. Outside the UK, he is also king of 14 other Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. (Photo by Ben Stansall / POOL / AFP)
The church buzzed with excitement and was abloom with fragrant flowers and colorful hats as the congregation of international dignitaries and nobles arrived. Among them were U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and eight current and former British prime ministers and celebrities, including Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, and Lionel Richie.
At a traditional Anglican service slightly tweaked for modern times, Charles, clad in crimson and cream robes, swore on a Bible that he is a “true Protestant.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Queen Camilla is crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown by The Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Justin Welby during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
But a preface was added to the coronation oath to say the Church of England “will seek to foster an environment where people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely,” and the epistle from the King James Bible was read by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Hindu leader.
A gospel choir performed a newly composed “Alleluia,” and, for the first time, female clergy took part in the ceremony. It was also the first to include representatives of the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh faiths.
Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, leaves Westminster Abbey following the coronation ceremony of Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla, in London, Britain May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool
In an ancient display of kingly power, Charles was anointed with oil from the Mount of Olives in the Holy Land and presented with an orb, swords, and scepters before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby placed the solid gold crown adorned with more than 400 precious stones on the monarch’s head. As trumpets sounded, gun salutes were fired across the U.K.
The ceremony was one of many faiths and languages to signify the new king as a unifying figure in the U.K. For the first time, a monarch was crowned in a ceremony that included the active participation of faiths other than the Church of England.
