Charles and Camilla’s coronation party – all the details of the royal event of the year

It also contains a “Corona” and feels like it moves the whole world. But this time it’s not an illness, but the royal event of the year: “The King’s Coronation”. At the beginning of May, more than six months after the death of his mother, King Charles and his wife Camilla will be crowned. So Charles officially becomes head of the Church of England and Camilla, as his wife, is called “Queen”.

The coronation of Charles and his wife Camilla will take place on Saturday morning, May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London.

Queens and kings of England are traditionally crowned here. Most of them were also buried there until the middle of the 18th century.

A coronation is a symbolic religious ceremony. It formalizes the monarch’s role as head of the Church of England and marks the conferral of his title and powers. The ceremony on May 6 will not only be symbolic, the crown will also be effectively and solemnly placed on King Charles’ head.

However, a coronation is not necessarily necessary to become king or queen. This is how Charles III “ruled”. ever since the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, and King Edward VIII, who was king from January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year, reigned that year completely without even being crowned.

The entire festivities span three days. For the act of coronation on Saturday King Charles and his wife Camilla – already referred to as “Queen” in the palace’s official invitation – board a magnificent carriage. The so-called “Diamond Jubilee State Coach” is the most modern carriage in the Windsor house. It was made in 2012 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 60th birthday and is said to be extremely comfortable. According to the BBC, it even has electric windows and air conditioning. The carriage in the so-called “King’s Procession” – the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey – is still drawn by horses.

During the ceremony itself, the king is anointed with consecrated oil. Charles is then asked if he will rule the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries with justice and justice and if he will maintain Christianity in the country. As the Telegraph writes, wording will be added for the first time that will allow the king to acknowledge his commitment to the different religions of a “diverse Britain”.

After being anointed, blessed and consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles was crowned with the “St Edward’s Crown”, officially making him King Charles III. crowns. He will be seated in the coronation chair, the so-called “Edward’s Chair”. In addition to Charles, Camilla is also crowned queen. From May 6, she will therefore officially bear the title “Queen Camilla” – as the royal family recently wrote for the first time on the official invitation to the coronation.

On the way back to Buckingham Palace things get a bit more awkward, but all the more magnificent: Charles and Camilla change carriages and ride during the so-called “Coronation Procession” in the legendary golden carriage of the Royals, the “Gold State Coach”.

Not only the carriage, but the entire procession after the coronation becomes more pompous. The largest military ceremony in 70 years will be attended by soldiers from the British Army and military forces from across the Commonwealth, according to the Telegraph. Nevertheless, they wanted to reduce the size of the ceremony, which has been performed in the same way for almost 1000 years. So it will probably only last an hour – compared to the three hours at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.

Back at Buckingham Palace, the newlyweds are expected on the famous balcony together with other family members.

First on Sunday then the so-called “Coronation Big Lunch” takes place. Countless street parties are planned across the country and Britons are encouraged to eat and celebrate together in a nationwide act of celebration and friendship.

The celebrations are followed by a series of concerts on the lawns of Windsor Castle. Katy Perry, Take That and Lionel Richie, among others, will play.

Monday, May 8 was declared a public holiday. On this day, people in Britain are encouraged to spend time volunteering and getting involved in projects in their local area under the motto “The Big Help Out”.

Like the crowns of the king and queen, the ceremony’s guest list is teeming with high-profile figures: heads of state, religious leaders — and plenty of blue blood.

The guests include numerous royal and princely couples as well as members of the royal family. The royal couple Albert and Charlène of Monaco, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark – who will compete in place of Queen Margrethe II, who is recovering from surgery – and King Carl Gustav have so far officially confirmed and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, and the royal couple Felipe and Letizia of Spain.

Charles is also said to have invited royals from other continents, including King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan, the royal couple from Bhutan, the Crown Prince of Bahrain, King Letsie of Lesotho and the Sultan of Brunei. It is not yet confirmed whether they are coming.

Charles and Camilla’s coronation is the first in Britain to be attended by royals. “For centuries it was customary for the coronation of a British monarch not to be attended by other crowned royals, for the sacred ceremony was intended to be an intimate exchange between the monarch and his people in the eyes of God,” explains the Daily Mail. . But as part of his plan to keep the ceremony up-to-date, King Charles has decided to break with the 900-year-old tradition and “invite his crowned friends” as well.

Only 20 British MPs and 20 members of the House of Lords will attend the coronation. Among them are British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy, and Humza Yousaf, the newly appointed First Minister of Scotland. As the Telegraph reports, the exclusive affair would have caused an uproar among MPs, who believe they have a right to attend.

In addition to the United Kingdom, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed their presence. Other heads of state such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have also been invited but have not yet confirmed their presence. But it is considered likely that they will come.

But Harry and Meghan caused the most excitement in the (British) media. It was recently announced that Harry, the son of the king to be crowned, will attend, but that his wife Meghan will remain in California with their children Archie and Lilibet.

US President Joe Biden has also canceled, but will be represented in London by his wife Jill.

The entire ceremony can be followed live on SRF. The SRF announced: “In a special program, the ‘Faces & Stories’ program broadcasts the coronation of King Charles III live with guests in the special studio, with a live commentator during the two parades and with simultaneous interpretation during the coronation. SRF shows two DOK programs on the subject as support act.»

At the personal request of King Charles, the “Coronation Quiche” will be eaten at the mega event, among other things. In addition to the typical British cheddar, the quiche contains two vegetables that are in season in May: spinach and broad beans. The king, who is without meat and fish for two days a week, is known as an avid vegetable gardener – or “perhaps a keen overseer of other people’s work in this area”, as the Guardian writes.

The “sacred oil” with which Charles is anointed during the ceremony is said to be vegan (“vegan friendly”). The Guardian knows that. Therefore, the oil was made with olives and scented with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli and benzoin, among others, as well as orange blossom. No animal ingredients have been used. This is in contrast to the oil used by Queen Elizabeth II. Some of the ingredients for the “sacred oil” with which the late queen was anointed in 1953 are said to come from a musk deer, a civet and a sperm whale.

It has recently emerged that the British are not particularly interested in the coronation. According to a YouGov poll, two-thirds of those surveyed spoke not particularly (35 percent) or not at all (29 percent) about the historic event. In addition, a majority would rather not pay for it: 51 percent of the more than 4,200 respondents indicate that they do not think the state should bear the costs of the event.

Yes, even the royal family can be modern. A new emoji has been created on Twitter for the occasion:

The emoji shows the crown of St. Edward being placed on Charles at the coronation. It appears on Twitter when certain hashtags are used.