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King Charles III wearing the Imperial state Crown, and Queen Camilla wearing a modified version of Queen Mary's Crown wave from the Buckingham Palace balcony after viewing the Royal Air Force fly-past in central London on May 6, 2023, after their coronations.Photo by DANIEL LEAL /AFP via Getty Images
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LONDON — King Charles III was anointed and crowned on Saturday in Britain’s biggest ceremonial event for seven decades, a display of pomp and pageantry that sought to marry 1,000 years of history with a monarchy fit for a new era.
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In front of a congregation including about 100 world leaders and a television audience of millions, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, slowly placed the 360-year-old St. Edward’s Crown on Charles’ head as he sat upon a 14th-century throne in Westminster Abbey.
During the solemn two-hour service, elements of which date back to the time of King William the Conqueror in 1066, Charles’ second wife Camilla was also crowned queen.
King Charles III during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023 in London, England.Photo by Victoria Jones - WPA Pool /Getty Images
A huge military procession followed, gun salutes were fired, thousands of soldiers roared three cheers, and there was a scaled-down flypast by military aircraft as the king and queen waved from the balcony of Buckingham Palace to cheering crowds who gathered on The Mall boulevard.
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While rooted in history, the ceremony – only the second British coronation to be televised – was also an attempt to present a forward-looking institution and to reflect a more diverse country.
“I come not to be served but to serve,” Charles said at the start.
With Britain struggling to find its way in the political maelstrom after its exit from the European Union and maintain its global standing, the monarchy’s supporters say the Royal Family provides an international draw, a vital diplomatic tool and a means of keeping it on the world stage.
“No other country could put on such a dazzling display – the processions, the pageantry, the ceremonies, and street parties,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
But despite Sunak’s enthusiasm, the coronation took place amid a cost of living crisis and public skepticism, particularly among the young, about the role and relevance of the monarchy.
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Charles, 74, automatically succeeded his mother as king of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Canada and Australia when Queen Elizabeth died last September.
Saturday’s event was on a smaller scale than that staged for her in 1953, but still sought to be spectacular. There was an array of historical regalia from golden orbs and bejewelled swords to a scepter holding the world’s largest colorless cut diamond.
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After the service, Charles and Camilla, 75, departed in the four-tonne Gold State Coach built for George III, the last king of Britain’s American colonies, to ride to Buckingham Palace in a one-mile procession of 4,000 military personnel from 39 nations.
Meanwhile hundreds of soldiers in scarlet uniforms and black bearskin hats lined the route along The Mall for what was the largest ceremonial event of its kind in Britain since Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.
Tens of thousands of people ignored pouring rain to mass on the streets to watch what some saw as a moment of history.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their children Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony following King Charles' coronation ceremony in London, May 6, 2023.Photo by Hannah McKay /REUTERS
Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Prince Louis of Wales, stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony as they wait for the Royal Air Force fly-past in central London on May 6, 2023, after the coronations of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.Photo by LEON NEAL /POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony as they wait for the Royal Air Force fly-past in central London on May 6, 2023, after the coronations of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Photo by LEON NEAL /POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Left to right: Page of Honour Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Prince George of Wales, Page of Honour Nicholas Barclay and Page of Honour Ralph Tollemache are seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by POOL /via REUTERS
King Charles III and his wife Queen Consort Camilla are seen in the Diamond Jubilee Coach at Westminster Abbey in London, May 6, 2023. Photo by POOL /via REUTERS
A coach carrying Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis rides past anti-monarchy protesters following the coronation ceremony for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Photo by VIOLETA SANTOS MOURA/POOL /AFP via Getty Images
In This handout image released by Buckingham Palace, King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their Coronation on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by Chris Jackson/Buckingham Palace /via REUTERS
King Charles III waves as he leaves the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by WPA Pool /Getty Images
A handout image released by Buckingham Palace showing King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they watch the flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their coronation on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by CHRIS JACKSON FOR BUCKINGHAM PALACE /via REUTERS
King Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their children Prince Louis and Prince George, along with other members of the Royal family, stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the coronation ceremony in London, May 6, 2023. Photo by PAUL CHILDS /REUTERS
Prince William, Prince of Wales watches as a robe is put on King Charles III during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by WPA Pool /Getty Images
King Charles III stands after being crowned during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by WPA Pool /Getty Images
Queen Camilla receives Queen Mary's Crown during her coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London, May 6, 2023. Photo by POOL /via REUTERS
Prince Andrew and Prince Harry look on as they leave Westminster Abbey following the coronation ceremony of King Charles and Queen Camilla, in London, May 6, 2023. Photo by POOL /via REUTERS
Front row third left to right: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (third row fourth right) at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023 in London. Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool /Getty Images
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank leave Westminster Abbey following the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by WPA Pool /Getty Images
Princess Eugenie arriving at Westminster Abbey ahead of the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by WPA Pool /Getty Images
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Trudeau arrive to attend King Charles and Queen Camilla coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, in London, May 6, 2023. Photo by POOL /via REUTERS
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex looks on as King Charles III leaves Westminster Abbey after the Coronation Ceremonies in central London on May 6, 2023. Photo by BEN STANSALL /POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Katy Perry looks on during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by WPA Pool /Getty Images
King Charles III departs the Coronation service of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by Jeff Spicer /Getty Images
Queen Camilla leaves Westminster Abbey following the coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by WPA Pool /Getty Images
King Charles III and Queen Camilla travelling in the Gold State Coach built in 1760 and used at every Coronation since that of William IV in 1831 sets off from Westminster Abbey on route to Buckingham Palace during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by Richard Heathcote /Getty Images
King Charles and Queen Camilla looks on as the Coronation Procession passes on its way to Buckingham Palace in London, May 6, 2023. Photo by POOL /via REUTERS
Princess Anne, Princess Royal rides on horseback behind the gold state coach carrying the newly crowned King and Queen Consort as they travel down The Mall during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by Dan Mullan /Getty Images
The military procession, the largest of its kind since the 1953 Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II makes its way down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by Dan Mullan /Getty Images
People take pictures of the illuminated Houses of Parliament following the coronation ceremony of King Charles and Queen Camilla in London, May 6, 2023. Photo by LISI NIESNER /REUTERS
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Meanwhile hundreds of soldiers in scarlet uniforms and black bearskin hats lined the route along The Mall in what was the largest ceremonial event of its kind in Britain since the coronation of Charles’ mother.
Tens of thousands of people ignored pouring rain to mass on the streets to watch what some saw as a moment of history.
“When I was a young girl, I was able to watch (the coronation of) Queen Elizabeth on television in Hartford, Connecticut, at a friend’s house because we had no TV,” said retired U.S. teacher Peggy Jane Laver, 79.
“So I’m thrilled to be here for the coronation in person.”
Not everyone who came to watch was there to cheer Charles, with hundreds of republicans booing and waving banners reading “Not My King.” The Republic campaign group said its leader had been arrested, among 52 people detained as part of a “significant police operation.”
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Inside the abbey, which was bedecked with flowers and flags, politicians and dignitaries from around the world such as U.S. first lady Jill Biden took their seats alongside 2,200 others from charity workers to celebrities, including actors Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench and U.S. singer Katy Perry.
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Charles looked solemn as he swore oaths to govern justly and uphold the Church of England – of which he is the titular head.
He was then hidden from watching eyes by a screen for the most sacred part of the ceremony when he was anointed on his hands, head and breast by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby with holy oil consecrated in Jerusalem.
Front row third left to right: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (third row fourth right) at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023 in London.Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool /Getty Images
After being presented with symbolic regalia, Welby placed the St. Edward’s Crown on his head and the congregation cried out “God save the King.”
Gun salutes were fired at the Tower of London and across the capital, the nation, in Gibraltar, Bermuda and on ships at sea.
Charles’ eldest son and heir Prince William, 40, knelt before his father to pledge his loyalty as his “liege man of life and limb.”
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Much of the ceremony featured elements that Charles’ forebears right back to King Edgar in 973 would recognize, officials said. Handel’s coronation anthem “Zadok The Priest” was sung as it has been at every coronation since 1727.
But the service also included an anthem composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, famed for his West End and Broadway theater shows, a gospel choir, and an “unprecedented” greeting from faith leaders.
However, there was no formal role for either Charles’ younger son Prince Harry, after his high-profile falling out with his family, or his brother Prince Andrew, who was forced to quit royal duties because of his friendship with late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
They sat in the third row behind working members of the Royal Family and neither appeared on the palace balcony.
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Camilla’s crowning sealed her rise from a position of deep unpopularity in the period after Charles’ divorced first wife, the popular, glamorous Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
For the last decade, the Royal Family has enjoyed massive global media attention, celebrating everything from weddings, births, and significant anniversaries to mourning last year’s death of Queen Elizabeth, and now Charles’ coronation.
But, no major event is likely for some years, and with polls indicating a decline in support for the monarchy, especially among the young, commentators say adapting and staying relevant is the greatest challenge to the institution.
Neil Edward, 72, a retired salesman who traveled from southwest England to watch, said the experience had been a mixture of pride and nostalgia with a touch of sadness that this might be the last big royal event he attends.
“Without them, I don’t know how we would come together to celebrate big events like this,” he said.
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