London: King Charles who acceded to the British throne after the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September last year will be formally crowned at a solemn religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London. The event was last witnessed 70 years ago for his late mother.
Here is the complete itinery of King Charles Coronation:
Gold Coach-On Saturday morning, the King and Queen will travel from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach created for Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the 60th anniversary of her reign in 2012. This horse-drawn carriage is the far more comfortable one of the two to feature in the two-way procession, including air-conditioning and shock absorbers. The less comfortable royal carriage, the ancient Gold State Coach, will be used for a shorter return journey from the Abbey to the palace. The Gold State Coach was last seen during the Pageant of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022 and was commissioned in 1760.
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Jewels-The Coronation Regalia, the heart of the Crown Jewels which remain at the Tower of London for public display at all other times as a set of sacred and secular objects which symbolise the service and responsibilities of the monarch, will get their full ceremonial outing.
Ceremony-Charles will be crowned King as the St. Edward's Crown is placed upon his head during the ceremony which will be made up of five key elements: the Recognition; the Oath; the Anointing; the Investiture and Crowning; and the Enthronement and Homage. Camilla will be crowned with St. Mary's Crown studded with Cullinan diamonds, having made the diplomatic choice to shun the customary crown embedded with the infamous Kohinoor diamond due to its colonial link with India.
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Anointing of Queen-While she will be anointed with holy oil in full public view, Charles will be anointed behind a cloth screen depicting a central design of a tree with branches filled with 56 leaves representing the Commonwealth of nations including one of the leaves dedicated to India. The holy Chrism oil consecrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem will be symbolically touched to the monarch's head, chest and hands as part of the religious ceremony.
Congegation-Witnessing the solemn ceremony will be a congregation of 2,200 guests at the Abbey, including 850 representatives of charity and community groups as well as British Empire Medal (BEM) winners. Among others of Indian heritage in the gathering will be British Indian chef and BEM winner Manju Malhi, who works with a senior citizens charity in the UK, will be among this group specially invited by the royal couple alongside worldwide royalty and Heads of State.
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Guests-Also invited is Sourabh Phadke, a graduate of the Prince's Foundation set up in Dumfries House, Scotland, by Charles as the Prince of Wales with a vision to provide holistic solutions to challenges facing the world. Gulfsha, winner of the Prince's Trust Global Award and Indian-origin Jay Patel of Prince's Trust Canada are also among the selected invitees.
King & Queen's Buckingham Palace balcony appearance-Once back at the palace, the newly crowned King and Queen will receive a Royal Salute from the UK and some Commonwealth realm Armed Forces who would have been on parade that day. They will then appear on the iconic balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave at gathered crowds and witness a Royal Air Force (RAF) flypast, that's if the rain forecast for the day does not prove a washout for this colourful conclusion of the Coronation. (with PTI inputs)
