Charles III. The United Kingdom is preparing to attend the coronation of Charles III this Saturday, May 6 at noon. Three days of festivity are planned for this historic event which Prince Harry must attend. Here is all the essential information for this royal weekend.
After 74 years of waiting, Charles III will be crowned King of Great Britain in Westminster Abbey this Saturday, May 6. Each stage of the festivities has been meticulously rehearsed for several days. Media forecasts of public enthusiasm tend to point to indifference on the part of Her Majesty’s younger subjects. However, it will be necessary to wait for D-Day to be fixed: remember that the last major events of the royal family have always been a popular success.
Tens or even hundreds of millions of viewers are, in any case, expected behind their screens. This coronation is historic, because a large majority of Britons did not directly experience the latest, that of Elizabeth II in 1953. They will be able to discover a millimeter protocol for several centuries even if Charles wishes to demonstrate modernity. The coronation will be reduced to one hour compared to three for that of his mother, for example.
2,000 people were invited to Westminster, including Prince Harry despite his criticism of the royal family since leaving for the United States with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children. However, the king’s son should not be present on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the traditional salute to the crowd gathered on the Mall.
A concert will be given in Windsor on Sunday May 7 with Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Andrea Bocelli as headliners. Many events will take place during these three days of festivities across the kingdom.
The coronation will not stop at this ceremony in Westminster Abbey. Sunday will be dedicated to “The Big Lunch” initiative which encourages the British to gather around the “coronation quiche”. The main emblematic places of the country will be illuminated in the evening.
Finally, Monday will be devoted to the more than 400 associations sponsored by Charles III. The British Monarchy created this day as “The Big Help out” to highlight them. An application has been launched to find out about the many local activities and events organized during this day.
But all these celebrations come at a cost and the palace has had to scale back its initial budget due to very high inflation in the UK. Result: 6,000 fewer guests compared to his mother’s coronation, considerably reduced ceremony time, a shortened royal carriage parade, etc. The Crown seeks to show its sobriety, but the expenditure of 100 million pounds is not to the taste of all of Her Majesty’s subjects.
The purpose of the ceremony is to publicly formalize the transfer of royal powers to Charles III. This is not required in the British monarchy: Edward VIII reigned without any coronation and Charles was automatically named Charles III on the death of his mother Elizabeth. The event will be more modest so as not to relive the endless three-hour procession of Elizabeth II and the approximately 16,000 participants present on a seven-kilometre route. The ceremony will be modest and economical due to the crisis.
The king’s procession will thus be very short compared to that experienced by Elizabeth II. According to the Daily Mirror, “the king is aware of the difficult daily life of the English.” As a reminder, the 1953 ceremony cost 1.57 million pounds at the time, or around 45 million euros today. The 2023 one should barely last an hour. In this sense, Charles III detaches himself from the codes, Elizabeth II having respected the code of the three ceremonial hours. The monarchy wishes to unveil a modern and lucid image on the situation of the country: “The coronation will also reflect the role of the monarch today and will look to the future although it is rooted in ancient traditions”.
According to a Yougov poll, more than one in two Britons believe the coronation should not be funded by taxes. Buckingham Palace has not released a coronation budget. The local media agree on several tens of millions of euros at a minimum. A sum that will not delight the detractors of the monarchy while Great Britain faces inflation of more than 10%. The survey also reveals that in Scotland, half the country should not watch the coronation in a country seeking independence.
The royal family unveiled the official invitation to the coronation of Charles III on April 5. Here is the official sequence of the coronation, the real heart of the event:
Is Harry present at his father’s coronation?
On the people side, the question around the presence of Prince Harry has long occupied the monopoly of the attention of the tabloids. He will be present at the coronation ceremony. The final answer on the presence or not of the Harry-Meghan couple was given on April 12. Only Harry will make the trip to attend his father’s coronation. His wife Meghan and their two children will stay in the United States to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday, born on the same coronation date. Harry should not drag on in the UK because his presence is indicated only for the ceremony in Westminster Abbey. His possible presence on the balcony of Buckingham Palace is therefore to be ruled out.
Royal family observers believe that Meghan Markle’s absence is also due to a desire to preserve herself mentally and to cut ties with the royal family for good. As a reminder, the couple had accused the Windsors of making racist remarks about the potential skin color of their first child. In a recent autobiography, The Substitute, published by Fayard, Harry revealed the underside of the royal family and in particular his tense relationship with his brother William.
A few days before the coronation of Charles III, Monday, May 1, the royal family unveiled the outfit that the sovereign will wear during the event. On the program: the “Supertunica” which is none other than a splendid long-sleeved gold coat whose creation dates back to 1911. It had been made for the coronation of his great-grandfather George V. The outfit was then worn by George VI and Elizabeth II at their respective coronations. To this will be added the “Imperial Mantle”, made in gold, silver and silk for the coronation of George IV in… 1821. This is the oldest garment that will be worn for the coronation. A belt dated 1937 as well as the gloves made for the coronation of his grandfather George VI will also constitute the outfit of Charles III.
For her part, Camilla will wear a dress that Queen Elizabeth II herself wore in 1953 on the occasion of her coronation. Tradition obliges, Camilla will have (like Charles III) two outfits. The “Robe of State”, worn on arrival at Westminster Abbey, is that of Elizabeth II. It is crimson velvet. The “Robe of Estate”, worn for the departure from the abbey, is itself a creation. The Royal School of Needlework dreamed it up, while Ede
The British stars did not rush to the gate to participate in this concert. The Daily Mail claimed that Harry Styles, Elton John and the Spice Girls would have declined the invitation. Ed Sheeran explained to HuffPost that he was not invited. The BBC, responsible for the broadcast, then revealed the list of artists present at the concert scheduled for Sunday May 7 at Windsor Castle in front of 20,000 people.
The headliners are the Americans Lionel Ritchie and Katy Perry accompanied by the Italian Andrea Bocelli. His names are not accidental because these three artists have links with Charles. Katy Perry is the Children’s Ambassador for the British Asian Trust, a group of British Asian business leaders set up by the new king. Lionel Ritchie was the first global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust charity also founded by Charles III. The production has nevertheless provided for a few local artists such as singer Freya Ridings, boy band Take That (but without its ex-leader Robbie Williams), composer Alexis Ffrench and opera singer Sir Bryn Terfel. In comparison, for the jubilee of the 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II, 250,000 spectators were present to attend performances by Diana Ross, Queen or Rod Stewart.
The BBC will broadcast the festivities in mondovision. Most major TV channels will be pushing their usual schedule to cover the coronation and procession of King Charles III. A live stream will of course be available on Linternaute so that you don’t miss anything of this historic event.
2,000 people were invited to the ceremony. This is 6,000 less than that of Elizabeth II where Westminster Abbey had to be modified in five months to accommodate 8,251 people. The royal family will be almost complete. Other royal figures will travel from around the world to represent their monarchy: King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands , King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his daughter, Princess Victoria, Prince Fuhimito and Princess Kiko of Japan, Prince Albert II of Monaco, or King Abdallah II and the Queen Rania of Jordan.
The main political leaders of the United Kingdom are invited: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Theresa May and Liz Truss. Many Heads of State such as French President Emmanuel Macron, German Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Filipino Ferdinand Marcos Jr, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have also confirmed their presence.
A notable absentee is already to be noted: it is the President of the United States Joe Biden. The White House has not communicated a reason but insists on the presence of his wife Jill to represent the first world power. Queen Consort Camilla has invited the family from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles. A gesture underlined by the followers of the monarchy as a desire to demonstrate the modernity of the royal family.
The Daily Mail revealed on April 28 the placement of the 2,000 guests at the coronation in Westminster Abbey. Prince Harry would therefore sit in the square reserved for the royal family despite his sensational departure to the United States. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron will be in an area reserved for foreign politicians.
Buckingham Palace still keeps the mystery of the composition of the people authorized to appear on the balcony of the famous palace. However, Vanity Fair suggests the presence of 15 people chosen by the king: “the main members of the royal family, who will be joined by their children. There will be present: his son Prince William with his wife Kate Middleton and the little princes George , Charlotte and Louis, his sister Anne with her husband Timothy Lawrence and his brother Edward with his wife Sophie and their two children, Lady Louise and James. They will certainly be joined by people very close to the sovereign, such as his trusted advisers.”
The pope has chosen his gift for the coronation of Charles III. The Times reports that these would be two small fragments of the cross on which Christ was crucified. They are 5 and 10 mm long respectively. The Vatican attests to their authenticity of being issued from the “True Cross”. Jesus is believed to have been crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem over 2000 years ago. His relics were encrusted with a silver cross: the Cross of Wales. This item also includes recycled bullion from the British Royal Mint.
This personal gift from Pope Francis was blessed by the Archbishop of Wales, Archbishop Andrew John. The senior cleric rejoiced with The Times over the papal offering: “It is extremely important. It is a remarkable thing that the King was able to find favor with the Vatican and thanks to this very good relationship, Pope Francis has agreed to donate these small fragments of the Holy Cross.” The cross will be held up at the head of the procession leaving Westminster Abbey after the coronation of Charles III. This donation is a strong gesture as the Anglican Church has separated from the papacy since the excommunication of King Henry VIII in 1534.
Buckingham Palace hopes the coronation will be “a chance for people to come together”. The teams preparing for the three days of festivities hope that the figures for the broadcast will not be ridiculous in the face of the dizzying figures of 1953 and the coronation of Elizabeth II: 27 million Britons watched it on television when the country had 36 million people at the time.
