King Charles III Crowned in Traditional Ceremony at Westminster Abbey Amidst Discord in Modern Britain

King Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, receiving the jeweled St Edward’s Crown in a ceremony grounded in ancient tradition held at a time when the monarchy struggles to stay relevant in a fractured modern Britain. .

Trumpets sounded inside the medieval abbey and the congregation proclaimed “God save the king!” at the mass attended by more than 2,000 guests, including world leaders, aristocrats and celebrities. Outside, thousands of military personnel, tens of thousands of spectators and some protesters converged.

Later, the newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla waved to the crowd of fans who gathered to watch from Buckingham Palace.

It was the culmination of a seven-decade journey for Carlos from heir to the throne to monarch.

For the royal family and the government, the occasion, codenamed Operation Golden Orb, was a display of heritage, tradition and spectacle unmatched anywhere in the world.

For the crowds gathered under a rainy sky, thousands of whom had camped overnight, it was a chance to be part of a historic occasion.

But for millions more, the day was greeted with indifference. The awe and awe that the ceremony was designed to evoke was largely gone.

King Charles III sits as he is crowned with St Edward’s Crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Reverend Justin Welby, during the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, Saturday, May 6, 2023.

(Jonathan Brady/AP)

For a few, it was cause for protest. Hundreds of people who want Britain to become a republic gathered to chant “Not my king!” Republicans see the coronation as a celebration of an institution they say represents privilege and inequality, in a country where poverty is deepening and social ties are fraying. A handful of them were arrested.

At the start of the day, the church was abuzz with excitement and filled with fragrant flowers and colorful hats as the congregation of international dignitaries, nobles and other distinguished persons arrived. They included US First Lady Jill Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian leader Justin Trudeau, eight current and former British Prime Ministers, as well as Judi Dench, Emma Thompson and Lionel Richie.

During the traditional Anglicized Mass, slightly changed for modern times, Carlos, in crimson and cream cloaks, swore to the Bible that he is a “true Protestant.”

But for the first time a preface was added to the coronation oath to say that the Church of England “will seek to foster an environment where people of all faiths and beliefs can live freely”, and King James’s Bible epistle was read by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Hindu leader.

Britain’s King Charles III leaves Westminster Abbey after his coronation ceremony in London on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

(Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

A gospel choir performed a newly composed “Hallelujah” and, for the first time, female clergy participated in the ceremony. It was also the first time that representatives of the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh traditions were included.

In a display of tradition and royal power, Charles was anointed with oil from the Mount of Olives in the Holy Land and presented with an orb, swords and sceptres, before the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby placed the ornate solid gold crown with more than 400 precious stones on the head of the monarch.

During the coronation, Carlos sat in the 700-year-old oak Coronation Chair, once gilded and now weathered and graffiti etched. Beneath the seat was the sacred rock known as the Stone of Fate, on which ancient Scottish kings were crowned.

After the heavy crown was placed, trumpets sounded and salutes were fired across the United Kingdom.

For more than 1,000 years, British monarchs have been crowned in grand ceremonies confirming their right to rule. Carlos is the 40th sovereign to be crowned at the abbey and at 74 years old, he is the oldest.

These days, the king no longer has executive or political power, and the coronation is purely ceremonial as Charles automatically became king upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September.

The King remains the UK’s head of state and a symbol of national identity, and Charles will have to work to unite a multicultural nation and keep the monarchy relevant at a time when support for it is waning, especially among the young.

The anti-monarchy group Republic said six of its members, including its chief executive, were arrested when they arrived at the protest. Police had said they would have a “low tolerance” for people seeking to disturb public order, saying they had arrested four people suspected of causing a nuisance.

The environmental group Just Stop Oil said more than a dozen of its members were also arrested.

The arrests drew criticism that police were cracking down on free speech, with Human Rights Watch saying the arrests were “something you’d expect to see in Moscow, not London.”

The multi-million dollar cost of the entire ceremony (the exact figure is unknown) also rankled some amid a cost-of-living crisis that has meant many Britons are struggling to pay their energy bills and buy food.

Despite this, Carlos has sought to lead a smaller and less expensive real machine for the 21st century. Her coronation was shorter than Elizabeth II’s three hours, with fewer guests and an abbreviated procession.

The royal family, which has been at odds of late, made its own show of unity. The heir to the throne, Prince William, his wife Catherine, and his three children attended. Towards the end of the ceremony, William knelt before his father and pledged allegiance to the king, before kissing him on the cheek.

So Welby invited everyone in the abbey to swear “true allegiance” to the monarch. He also invited those watching on television to pay tribute, though that part of the ceremony was toned down after some criticized it as an insensitive effort to demand public support for Carlos.

William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, who has had public differences with the royal family, arrived alone. His wife Meghan and his children stayed at home in California, where the couple have lived since stepping down from royal duties in 2020.

As Charles and the leading royals joined a magnificent military procession after the ceremony, Henry waited outside the abbey until a car arrived to take him away.

Huge crowds cheered as Carlos and Camila were transported in the Golden State Carriage from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace, accompanied by a procession of 4,000 soldiers and military bands playing merry tunes.

Today’s population is very different from the one that saw Elizabeth crowned. Nearly 20% of the population now come from ethnic minority groups, compared to less than 1% in the 1950s. Over 300 languages ​​are spoken in British schools and less than half the population describe themselves as a christian.

Despite this, people came from all over the world and from all over Britain to be a part of the occasion.

“It’s just being surrounded by love and seeing our King Carlos. He is our pillar,” said Jill Coughlin, a royal admirer from Essex, east London. “We loved our queen and these are the next generations. So it’s wonderful for us, absolutely wonderful.” ___ Associated Press writers Sylvia Hui and Brian Melley contributed to this report.