Cost-of-living coronation? Charles set for ‘smaller scale’ ceremony in May – with no guarantee of a bank holiday
Charles is set to be crowned King on Saturday May 6 next year, with the Queen Consort crowned at the same time, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Coronations have not traditionally been held on a weekend, with the late Queen’s taking place on a Tuesday. It has not yet been confirmed whether there will be any arrangements for a bank holiday.
The religious ceremony will take place in Westminster Abbey, eight months after the monarch’s accession and the death of the Queen.
The coronation is expected to be on a smaller scale and shorter amid the cost-of-living crisis, with suggestions that it could last just one hour rather than over three.
Guest numbers will be reduced from 8,000 to around 2,000, with peers expected to wear suits and dresses instead of ceremonial robes, and a number of rituals, such as the presentation of gold ingots, axed.
The Palace said the ceremony will be “rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry” but also “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future”.
Charles III will be anointed with holy oil, receive the orb, coronation ring and sceptre, be crowned with the majestic St Edward’s Crown and blessed during the historic ceremony.
Camilla will also be anointed with holy oil and crowned, just like the Queen Mother was when she was crowned Queen in 1937.
May 6 is also the birthday of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie – Charles’s grandson – who will be turning four on the day.
Guest lists have yet to be confirmed for the spectacle, including whether or not Harry and Meghan will be invited or be able to travel from California to attend.
The date was also the wedding anniversary of the late Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, while the King’s grandfather George VI held his coronation in the month of May.
The Palace said the date was chosen in consultation with the Government, the Church of England and the Royal Household, but no further details have been given on why it was picked.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce that the coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023,” the Palace said.
“The coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“The ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside the Queen Consort.
“The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.”
‘Goldeb Orb’
It is understood that the ceremony will include the same core elements of the traditional service, which has retained a similar structure for more than 1,000 years, while also recognising the spirit of our times.
It is expected to be more inclusive of multi-faith Britain than past coronations but will be an Anglican service.
Further details are due to be released in due course, but the Government and the royal household will be conscious of the scale of the event in light of the cost-of-living crisis facing the country.
The late Queen’s coronation took place on June 2 1953 – 16 months after she became monarch, and there had been speculation Charles would opt for a June date close to or even on the 70th anniversary of his mother’s ceremony.
Special seating structures were built inside the church at the time to increase the usual congregation from 2,000 to 8,000.
Security will be heightened given the high-profile nature of the day.
The King will be anointed, blessed and consecrated by the Archbishop.
Charles is expected to sign a proclamation formally declaring the date of the coronation at a meeting of the Privy Council later this year.
The King acceded to the throne on September 8, immediately on the death of his mother, Elizabeth II – the nation’s longest reigning monarch.
Plans for the major event are known by the codename Operation Golden Orb, which sets out the blueprint for the service and the pageantry surrounding it.
Charles will be anointed by the Archbishop and take his oath to “maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine worship, discipline, and government thereof, as the law established in England”.
The Queen Consort will be crowned and take her place on a throne.
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Good to know the date now. I will be making sure that I am on holiday somwhere with very poor radio signals and no TV signal. Not too difficult to find in our Great Nation I am sure. Suggestions welome of course.
Firstly, I couldn’t care less about Charles coronation. He & it is a waste of taxpayers money. And anyway, the monarchy don’t do things on the cheap, unless it’s Wales that is, where a Prince & Princess who allegedly serve Wales give their support to England in sport even though we are playing in the same completions. My wish is to abolish the scrounging lot. If they actually worked for a living they’d realise sitting in their publicalky funded ivory tower in London that they are nothing special but a lazy medieval mafia who use passive aggressive rule to intimidate… Read more »
Crowd fund it, enough fanclub of this fool, King Spaniel. Whatever the size, its our tax.Whatever he does daily it costs us in money and his know interference and unwillingness to obey laws.
Best idea I have seen yet. Pehaps we need to start a Petition requesting that Charles puts out a Crowdfunder.
o great lets have yet another Petition Peter its about the only thing the Nats are good at doing not to mention constant beating about the royals and westminister.
Petition to throw “NOT Grayham Jones” into the Atlantic Ocean
This dressup nonsense is an England Only project yes? No benefits to Cymru so we are not funding it?
That’s my overseas holiday booked
A peaceful protest is being organized for the 6th May 2023 outside Westminster Abbey. Other protests may be organized in due course.