MA. ANGELICA DEMEGILLO
King Charles III and his wife, the Queen Consort Camilla, are set to be crowned king and queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms on Saturday, May 6.
King Charles III, 74, formerly Prince of Wales and Camilla, the Queen Consort, are set to be crowned as king and queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms on Saturday, May 6. Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, Charles immediately acceded to the throne, making him the oldest monarch to assume the throne in British history.
Millions of people not only in the United Kingdom (UK), but the world over are looking forward to this historic ceremony, the first since King Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned in 1953.
Here is what you can expect, according to BBC News, the Royal Family official website and other online sources, from King Charles III’s upcoming coronation, and when and where you can watch the event if you’re from the Philippines.
1. What will happen at the coronation?
The ceremony will feature age-old British royal customs, which remained relatively unchanged for over 1,000 years. His coronation comes 70 years after Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. This time around, the coronation is expected to be less grand in “solidarity” with UK citizens “who are experiencing an economic crisis.”
The coronation service will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and “will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while staying rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,” according to the Royal Family website.
The ceremony follows an order of rituals. The king is first presented to the congregation, who will respond with “God Save the King!”
The monarch will then take the coronation oath, whose wordings have been varied over the centuries, then the archbishop will anoint the king with oil. The king will then be presented with royal objects, including the sovereign’s orb, the sovereign’s scepter with cross and dove. After which, the king will be crowned with the St. Edward’s crown. The archbishop will then deliver a prayer and the king will sit on the throne.
The ceremony is expected to last for two hours, much shorter than Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, which lasted for nearly three hours.
2. What time will it start and what time should viewers in the Philippines start tuning in?
The coronation service is set to begin on May 6 at 11 AM BST (British Standard Time), which is 6 p.m. Philippine time.
Viewers in the Philippines can tune in to the Royal Family’s official YouTube channel starting at 5:25 PM (Philippine time). For those who have cable subscriptions, such as SKY Cable, you can tune in to major news channels like BBC World News, CNN and Fox News, as they will have a special coverage of the coronation service.
3. What are the key locations and what will happen there?
Prior to the crowning ceremony, the formal celebrations will begin with the “King’s Procession,” a two-kilometer procession from Buckingham Palace in central London to Westminster Abbey. King Charles III, who will be crowned along with Queen Consort Camilla, will be the 40th reigning monarch crowned in Westminster Abbey since 1066.
Their Majesties will travel in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, drawn by six Windsor Grey horses and escorted by 200 members of the British armed forces, most of whom are members of the king’s bodyguard—the Household Cavalry.
The ceremony will immediately begin at 11 AM BST (6 PM Philippine time) once the couple arrives at Westminster Abbey.
After the coronation service, the newly crowned couple will return to Buckingham Palace in a larger ceremonial procession called the “coronation procession,” and will travel in the gold state coach, which was used for every coronation since King William IV in 1831. The king and queen consort will be joined by other members of the Royal Family in the procession.
At Buckingham Palace, the king and queen consort, together with members of the Royal Family, will appear on the balcony to conclude the ceremonial events.
A day after the ceremony, a coronation concert will be held featuring such artists as Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli and Katy Perry.
4. How many people are expected to attend?
According to reports, the final guest list consists of over 2,200 people, which includes members of the Royal Family, representatives from 203 countries and about 100 heads of state.
More than 400 youth representatives from charitable organizations nominated by the king and queen consort will also have the opportunity to witness the processions and coronation service from inside St. Margaret’s Church, next to Westminster Abbey.
In a press statement, the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) confirmed that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos are attending the coronation ceremony.
6. Who among the royals will attend?
All members of the Royal Family, including cousins and grandchildren, will reportedly attend the coronation service. King Charles’ youngest son, Prince Harry, despite having officially left the Royal Family, will still attend the event. But Meghan Markle and their children will not attend and will remain home in California.
5. What crown will be used and why?
As per tradition, King Charles will wear the St. Edward’s crown, the oldest of the British Royal Family’s collection of crowns. The famed 360-year-old crown is also known as the centerpiece of the so-called crown jewels. It weighs five pounds and is made of 22-carat gold and 444 precious and semiprecious stones, such as aquamarine, white topaz, sapphires, tourmalines and rubies, among others.
Fun fact: During the upcoming coronation, the king will reuse historic items of clothing from the Royal Collection, including the colobium sindonis or shroud tunic, supertunica, imperial mantle, coronation sword belt and the coronation glove, which were worn by previous monarchs, such as King Charles’ grandfather King George VI, King George V and Queen Elizabeth II, during past coronations. According to the official website of UK Royalty, the vestments will be worn as His Majesty is being crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury on the coronation chair.
7. How much will this cost?
According to TIME, the long weekend celebration of the king’s coronation is expected to cost at least £100 million or $125 million. According to the New York Times, this amount is roughly double the cost of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, the most expensive ceremony ever held by the monarchy at the time, which cost around £1.57 million or £56 million in modern equivalent.
