Carlos III, crowned underwater in a ceremony that combined tradition with touches of modernity

Carlos III is already a monarch number 40 crowned in the famous Westminster Abbey, after some events that were partially spoiled by the no less famous English climate. The persistent rain that fell on London this Saturday forced drastically reduce the air parade with which the Armed Forces wanted to put an end to this occasion.

The Ministry of Defense organized a flyover of 60 aircraft, including the iconic Spitfire and Lancaster bombers that fought the Nazis in the Second World War, over Buckingham Palace. In the end, the air ticket lasted only two minutes and involved only a few helicopters and the aerobatic group of the Royal Air Force Red Arrows.

Although the sun could not be seen, thousands of Britons armed with umbrellas and raincoats filled the streets of central London to watch the two colorful military parades that took place on the occasion of the coronation and many others gathered in front of the huge screens set up in the parks of St. James and Hyde Park to follow the religious service.

According to the plan

The United Kingdom has once again given the world another example of precision and pomp, trying to make clear that it remains a significant international player. It’s 10:20 local time (11:20). Kings Charles and Camilla left Buckingham Palace in A golden jubilee carriage pulled by six horseswith the chords of the national anthem (God save the king) performed by one of the 19 military bands that participated in the events.

40 minutes later, as planned, the rulers arrived at the abbey, where their family, nobles, about a hundred foreign dignitaries, political and religious leaders, as well as celebrities and activists who made up the list, had gathered 2,200 guests who will witness the thousand-year-old ceremony inside the thousand-year-old temple. the newspaper The Independent He assures that guests have been warned that there are not enough bathrooms on the premises and that they will not be allowed to leave their chairs after 10 am, so that they can take precautions.

As announced, the ceremony tried to reflect multiculturalism of today’s Great Britain. So Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the son of Indian immigrants and a practicing Hindu, read the first reading; then the bishop, Sarah Mullally, read the gospel and the gospel choir sang Hallelujah. Two black women carried two royal treasures in the procession (orb and sceptre). Likewise, placing the Crown of St. Edward on Carlos III, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was accompanied by representatives of other Christian denominations.

However, other ancient rites remained intact. Carlos was represented as a monarch, as had been done since the time of the Anglo-Saxon kings; he sat on a throne more than seven centuries old; and not even a moment of anointing with holy oils was broadcast.

Controversial aspects

Help, without his wife and children, from Prince Henry, the monarch’s younger offspring, captured the attention of the press. The media did not miss that he was the only member of the royal family wearing civilian clothes and sitting in the third row. The controversial Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who like Henry does not play an active role for the crown, attended the event wearing a cape.

Exactly Andrew, whose connections with American pedophile Jeffrey Epstein cost him public office, was booed on the way from Buckingham. Something similar was experienced by the kings as they passed through Trafalgar Square, where a group of anti-monarchists held violent protests.

Carlos III looked serious for most of the ceremony and only smiled when his wife Camila was crowned and walked in front of him bowing. The image of the newly crowned queen did not sit well with many Britons, who used that label teamdianato express their displeasure on social networks.

Controversy sparked by the appearance of the Archbishop of Canterbury to call on Britons, wherever he chooses to be, to swear allegiance to the monarch, forced the event’s organizers to make a last-minute change. That’s how the oath was written. And although in the Abbey and the surroundings of Buckingham, where there was a crowd, echoed that “I swear”, which can be seen in the BBC images, on the street the reality was different. La Voz de Galicia followed the ceremony from a traditional pub in south London and noted that, apart from some pensioners, most of those present remained quiet and restrained for a moment shouting: “God save the king”.