What we can expect to see on Coronation Day

 

What we can expect to see on Coronation Day

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camillawill be crowned on Saturday 6 May 2023 during a symbolic coronation ceremony.

The coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey in London and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a ceremony that follows nearly 1,000 years of tradition.

Although there are many ways in which the coronation will be similar to Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years ago and that of her father, King George VI, in 1937, there will also be a few key differences as King Charles announces departures from tradition.

From the dress code to the role given to his grandson Prince George, these are some of the ways in which King Charles is expected to break from royal protocol during his coronation.

According to Buckingham Palace, the coronation ceremony will “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry”.

For the King, this means choosing to replace some of the historical remnants of the symbolic ceremony with more modern approaches.

One way Charles is expected to embrace modernity is through his own outfit, with reports suggesting that, rather than the silk stockings and breeches traditionally worn by Kings and Queens during coronation ceremonies, the King may instead wear his military uniform.

Like every coronation since 1066, it will be held in Westminster Abbey and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury – the Church of England's most senior cleric. The palace describes it as "a solemn religious service" and it acknowledges the king's role as both the head of state and head of the Church of England. The king is the Church's Supreme Governor.

Charles' wife, Queen Consort Camilla, will also be crowned. "The ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort," according to the palace.

While the king and the coronation committee may be adapting the ceremony to suit modern times, there are some parts of the service that are expected to remain. Since the late 14th century, coronations have followed the instructions laid out in the Liber Regalis or "royal book," a medieval Latin manuscript that describes the order of service.

There  are five key stages to a coronation: the recognition, the coronation oath, the anointing, the investiture (which includes the crowning) and the homage.

The Recognition

During the recognition, the monarch is presented to his or her people. The archbishop of Canterbury is expected to proclaim King Charles "the undoubted King" and call on the attendees to support him. For the queen's coronation in 1953, the archbishop presented the queen to the east, south, west and north and each time people shouted "God Save Queen Elizabeth!" with trumpets sounding after each recognition.

The Coronation Oath

For this part of the service the archbishop of Canterbury asks three questions to the monarch. King Charles will place his hand on the Holy Bible and say, "The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God." The king will then sign an oath, pledging to serve the people and rule according to law.

"This is the only time that a monarch signs a written obligation to his or her people," Bruce said.

The Anointing

Of all the coronation moments, Bruce said the anointing, or unction, is the most important.

"This is where the Archbishop of Canterbury makes a cross with holy oil on the royal forehead and elsewhere on the body to show that the monarch has been chosen by God," according to the Westminster Abbey website.

"This signals the conferment of God's grace upon a ruler," according to David Torrance, who wrote a paper on coronations for the House of Commons' Library.

For Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, the archbishop anointed her with these words: "Be thy head anointed with holy oil: as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so be you anointed, blessed and consecrated Queen over the Peoples, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee to rule and govern."

This sacred moment was barred from the cameras. The queen was covered with a canopy so people couldn't see as the archbishop dabbed oil on her face, chest and hands.

Torrance noted that, according to a former dean of Westminster, "At its heart, the anointing of the Sovereign, and clothing with priestly garments that precede the coronation itself, resemble the ordination of a priest or the consecration of a bishop."

The anointing oil contains a mixture of orange flowers, roses, jasmine, cinnamon, musk, civet and ambergris.

London pharmacy John Bell and Croyden holds the "recipe and a sample of the famous anointing oil used when a new sovereign is crowned," according to its website. It displays a replica of the bottle of oil in its London shop. The actual oil is under lock and key.

"Richard II is given the words by Shakespeare that describe why an anointing is so important: 'Not all the water in the rough rude sea can wash the balm off from an anointed king,'" Bruce noted.

The Investiture

The monarch now puts on ceremonial clothing known as the Colobium Sindonis and the Supertunica, a full-length coat made of gold silk cloth.

Coronation regalia is presented to the king or queen and he or she will be invested with the coronation bracelets, known as armills, representing sincerity and wisdom, followed by the stole, the robe royal and the orb. The monarch is also presented with the coronation ring and the sceptre with the cross and the rod with the dove.

The Crowning

"The real key moment is the anointing but the visual moment is the crowning," said Bruce.

Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation, June 2, 1953, in London.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will slowly place the more than 400-year-old St Edward's Crown on the king's head. The St Edward's Crown weighs 4 pounds and 12 ounces and is made of solid gold. It is the centerpiece of the Crown Jewels. This is the only time the king will ever wear the St Edward's Crown.

It is being sized to fit King Charles' head after it had "been removed from the Tower of London to allow for modification work" late last year, according to a palace statement.

At previous coronations it was at this moment, Bruce said, that the king's peers put on their coronets and the congregation shouts "God Save the King!" or "God Save the Queen!" and the guns at the Tower of London are fired.

Why do kings and queens wear crowns?

"It is to adorn the head that has been anointed with an earthly halo," said Bruce. "That's the concept of a crown."

And where they are crowned also has symbolism, according to Bruce. "We crown them on a tumulus, an old Saxon and Teutonic tradition where you raise the new king on the burial chamber of a previous king. The tumulus in Westminster Abbey is made up of principally of Edward the Confessor's Tomb," he explained.

The Homage

The king is then expected to move from the coronation chair up some steps to the throne for the final part of the ceremony, which is the homage. This is when the sovereign's subjects swear their allegiance. The homage is traditionally begun by the archbishop of Canterbury.

It remains to be seen who will pay homage to King Charles III at his coronation, or whether the traditional way of kneeling, kissing and touching the crown will take place.

The Queen Consort

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attends a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, July 12, 2017 in London.

The last time a Queen Consort was crowned was in 1937. If King Charles intends to replicate that ceremony, then Camilla will be crowned after the homage. "The queen is crowned at the will of the king," explained Bruce.

Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh looks out from her Coronation Coach as she makes her way to Westminster Abbey for Coronation ceremony, June 2, 1953 in London.

The king is expected to give a nod and then the queen will be crowned."It's traditional that the queen is anointed too," Bruce added, but the entire ceremony is much simpler and shorter than for a monarch.

Crowds line South Carriage Drive, Hyde Park as Queen Elizabeth II's coronation procession passes, June 2, 1953, in London.

The coronation service on Saturday, May 6, will be the focal point of a weekend of celebrations. There will also be a concert at Windsor Castle on the Sunday with the palace encouraging people to come together for a big lunch that same day and to volunteer in their communities on Monday, a holiday in the U.K.

"Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort hope the Coronation Weekend will provide an opportunity to spend time and celebrate with friends, families and communities across the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth," the palace announced in a statement.

The Anointing : King Charles III Coronation

 

The Anointing takes place before the investiture and crowning of His Majesty. The Dean of Westminster pours holy oil from the Ampulla into the Coronation Spoon, and the Archbishop of Canterbury anoints the Sovereign on the hands, chest and head. It has historically been regarded as a moment between the Sovereign and God, with a screen or canopy in place given the sanctity of the Anointing.

The mysterious anointing ceremony, known as the Act of Consecration, will take place before the investiture and crowning, and is carried out by the Archbishop. At Charles’s coronation, the Archbishop of Canterbury will be the one to anoint the King.

According to the Royal Collection Trust, the Archbishop will pour holy oil from the Ampulla (vessel) into the Coronation Spoon, a silver-gilt spoon with an oval bowl and decorated with pearls and engravings. The Ampulla is a solid gold flask in the shape of an eagle, believed to have been crafted in 1661 for the coronation of Charles II.

The Ampulla and Coronation Spoon used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953

(PA)

Westminster Abbey, where the coronation will be held, describes the ampulla and spoon as “the most important” objects used in the ceremony. They have both been used for hundreds of years, with the spoon first recorded in 1349. It is the only piece of royal goldsmith’s work to survive from the 12^thcentury.

The Archbishop will dip two fingers into the holy oil and anoint the sovereign on the hands, breast and head. This is a tradition that dates back to the Old Testament, in which the anointing of Solomon by Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet is written.

The monarch is then anointed using the Coronation Spoon with holy oil contained in the Ampulla. The Coronation Spoon is the most ancient item of Coronation regalia.

The choir traditionally sings Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’ during this most sacred moment of the coronation.

“Anointing was one of the medieval holy sacraments and it emphasised the spiritual status of the sovereign,” the RCT writes on its website.

The monarch was considered to have been appointed directly by God until the 17^thcentury, a holy role that was confirmed by the anointing. Although monarchs are no longer considered to be divine, the anointing ceremony continues to confirm the monarch as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

During Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, she sat in the Coronation Chair while a gold canopy was held above her by four Knights of the Garter. Hers was the first coronation to have ever been televised, but when the moment of anointing arrived, the canopy was moved to block the Queen from public view. 

According to the BBC, as he anointed her, the Archbishop said: “Be thy head anointed with holy oil: as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so be you anointed, blessed and consecrated Queen over the Peoples, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee to rule and govern.”

A picture of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, sitting on the Coronation Chair, known as St Edward's Chair, on June 2, 1953

(AFP via Getty Images)

It is likely the same words will be uttered during Charles’ anointing, replacing the words “Queen over the Peoples” with “King over the Peoples”.

The holy oil that was traditionally used for coronations past contained civet oil, from the glands of the small mammals, and ambergris from whale intestines. The formula was used at Queen Elizabeth’s ceremony and is hundreds of years old.

The king and the Queen consort will be anointed behind a specially created screen of fine embroidery, held by poles hewn from an ancient windblown Windsor oak and mounted with eagles cast in bronze and gilded in gold leaf, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The anointing screen has been blessed at a special service at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, and will be used at what historically has been viewed as the most sacred moment of the coronation.

The anointing is traditionally regarded as a moment between the sovereign and God, and the screen is to be used to give sanctity to this moment. Traditionally, the moment is not photographed or televised.

The Coronation Desk

 

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Watch This ⬇️

In this extraordinary documentary, we are taken through seminal moments of the 1953 Coronation by HM the Queen herself, as she handles the priceless Crown Jewels and relates the challenges of wearing the crowns and processing in the Gold State Coach.  Only two people are ever allowed to handle the St Edward's Crown (used only once - at the moment of crowning) - the appointed Crown Jeweller and the Sovereign.  Her Majesty plays with the highest symbols of monarchy as if they are old friends.  With her characteristic candour, coupled with a charm and warmth for which she was famous, the Queen is the focal point of this breathtaking piece of royal history.    

(I claim no rights whatsoever to this work, which was originally uploaded to the public domain by the BBC.)

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