King Charles III and the planning committee for his coronation, which will be in a few months, have decided to trim the ceremony and cut out many traditions that are centuries-old.
The coronation ceremony will be held in 2023 at Westminster Abbey, and it will have fewer rituals than previously. It will be shorter than his mother’s 1953 coronation.
Queen Elizabeth’s coronation on June 2, 1953 was an elaborate ceremony full of pomp and color. It was the first coronation to be televised, and over 27 million people in the UK alone watched the ceremony on TV, which lasted over three hours. The Queen’s procession had 250 people, and over 8,000 guests attended the ceremony, with 129 countries represented.
King Charles III, on the other hand, reportedly wants a more low-key ceremony, appropriate for a more streamlined and modern monarchy. Despite the changes, the upcoming coronation ceremony will still have some of the pomp that the world witnessed during his mother’s funeral, lying-in-state and procession.
The proceedings would only last about one hour, much shorter than Queen Elizabeth’s three-hour ceremony. Unlike the late Queen’s 8,000 guests, King Charles III plans to have only2,000 people attending, and many royals and parliamentarians will not receive an invitation. Guests will also wear regular suits instead of the usual ceremonial wear.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation followed the traditions of her father’s, King George V’s 1911 coronation.
Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, is responsible for planning the King’s upcoming coronation and, unlike his predecessors, will have to plan a simple and short ceremony that aligns with the attitudes of modern British citizens.
In 1953, over 8,000 people were crammed into Westminster Abbey for over three hours to witness the Queen’s ascension to the throne. King Charles’s ceremony will reduce the amount of time and money spent on the ceremony, as well as the number of attendees.
Unlike the Queen’s coronation, where she changed her outfit several times, King Charles will most likely not make any outfit change during the ceremony. The king will also change the written oath’s language to make it more appropriate for a modern audience.
Some of the ceremony’s traditions included the presentation of gold to the monarch. That tradition is also likely to be done away with, especially in the current economic times. The Queen received an ingot, spurs, bracelets, and other golden objects during her coronation.
A few traditions will remain, like the monarch’s anointing ritual, where he swears to be the ‘defender of the faith.’ The famous Gold State Coach, which has been used by monarchs for centuries and was recently refurbished for Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee, will also be used by King Charles during his coronation.
Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and now the heir to the throne, will most likely play a huge part in the Privy Council Coronation Committee, which plans the coronation.
Charles’ wife Camilla will be crowned as the Queen Consort on the same day her husband is crowned the new King.