In the presence of about 2,300 invitees, Charles III was crowned yesterday (Saturday) as King of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in the capital, London, as part of the largest official ceremony the country has witnessed in 70 years, and in a pompous and luxurious ceremony dating back a thousand years.
The rare historical event of the coronation of Charles III officially kicked off, becoming the fortieth king of the United Kingdom, succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled for 70 years and died 7 months ago at the age of 96.
After the arrival of the royal procession from Buckingham Palace and with a global presence of leaders, heads of government, representatives of the Commonwealth of Nations and dignitaries, the coronation ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey, with Christian rituals that lasted two hours headed by the Bishop of Canterbury Jason Welby, a tradition inherited from a thousand years, as the thirty-nine ancestors of the king were crowned in a church Westminster since 1066.
The royal coronation is the culmination of a 3-day ceremony, which includes a musical ceremony at Windsor Castle, west of London, this evening (Sunday).
The ceremony took place amidst strict security measures, which are stations and procedures that conclude with the inauguration and sitting on the throne, and revive long-standing royal traditions. The Queen, Consort Camilla, was also installed, but in a simpler ceremony.
Tens of thousands of people lined the wide avenue leading to the church to follow the royal procession.
Charles took over Britain to succeed his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after her death last September, and at the age of seventy-four, he became the oldest British monarch to wear St. Edward’s crown made 360 years ago when he sat on the fourteenth-century throne in Westminster Abbey in London.
Under the gaze of about 100 state leaders and dignitaries, Charles was crowned, like 40 of his predecessors, in Westminster Abbey, which has witnessed all the country’s coronation ceremonies since William the Conqueror in 1066.
His second wife, Camilla, 75, was crowned queen during the two-hour ceremony. Although the ceremony is rooted in history, those in charge of it tried to present a picture of a monarchy and a nation looking to the future.
