Coronations are always epic events and with many of the ceremonial details now announced, the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla in London on May 6 will be no different.
Coronations reflect the times in which they take place and demonstrate a change from the previous reign. Anne Twomey, a leading Australian scholar, remarked that the coronation “has legal aspects that date back many centuries, some are meaningful, some are quaint, and some are simply Pythonesque in nature.”
There will surely be an attempt to avoid anything that looks like Monty Python.
We live in a very different time from the last coronation 70 years ago. While the customs and traditions of the ceremony, which have emerged over 39 coronations over the past 1,000 years, will look familiar, here are five ways that make this event King Charles’ own.
THE SCOPE OF THE CORONATION
There has been speculation about a shorter ceremony compared to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s, and concern that the grandeur would be diminished. But the Order of Service released by the Church of England maintains all the key elements associated with the coronation, albeit with updated language. Chief among the changes is a greeting to the King by a 14-year-old chorister at the start, when the King will state, “I come not to be served, but to be serve.” This focuses the coronation proceedings and reign to follow as one of service to the countries of the Commonwealth and its peoples.
The removal of the participation by the hereditary nobility, who were previously a large part of the ceremony, and their replacement with an “Homage of the People,” is a radical change and an opportunity for everyone, no matter where they are watching from, to participate in the coronation.
Aside from the archbishop and Prince William, no one else will be paying homage to the King at the ceremony. The commissioning of 12 new pieces of music, along with some music of the past, and the grandeur of the setting suggests that the coronation will not lack the expected pomp and pageantry.
While the ceremony will run two hours rather than three, some parts will be more elaborate compared to 1953. The crowning and anointing of the Queen Consort in public view, which did not take place 70 years ago for Prince Philip, is an addition to the service.
The participation of global media and the ability for millions to watch live on their phones, computers and televisions will be beyond anything that could have been imagined in 1953. At that time, television was in its infancy and in black and white. In 2023, the coronation will be a global event that we will share in real time – with its own emojis!
This weekend, there will also be events and means of participation beyond the coronation ceremony itself, including a televised concert with 10,000 guests taking place at Windsor Castle on Sunday, as well as The Big Help Out on May 8, dedicated to volunteerism and participation in community service to reinforce the coronation’s theme.
THE SCALE OF ITS PARTICIPATION
A little over 2,000 guests will attend the coronation in Westminster Abbey, compared to more than 8,000 guests who were present in 1953. More than 600 people from Canada were invited then, and many federal politicians, lieutenant-governors and premiers as well as 25 mayors attended. In 2023, the Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as a group of less than 20 people, are expected to attend as part of one of the largest delegations outside the United Kingdom.
The Commonwealth, which consisted of eight nations in 1953, has now grown to 56, which means this will be a more international event than it has ever been, with less room for other invited guests. The attendance of other kings, queens and heads of state is without precedent, and representatives from virtually every country in the world will be in attendance.
The procession in Westminster Abbey and through London before and after the ceremony will be only 20 per cent of the distance covered in 1953. Still, it will be the largest military procession in London since that time, including more than 6,000 members of the armed forces, including 45 from Canada, along with five members of the RCMP Musical Ride. This is reduced considerably from the 16,000 who processed for Queen Elizabeth II, including 800 members of the Canadian Armed Forces. But it will be on a similar scale to the funeral of the late queen last September.
THE DIVERSE GUEST LIST
The diversity in the participation inside the Abbey will be without precedent. Rishi Sunak, the U.K.'s first prime minister who practises the Hindu faith, will give a reading from the Bible. He will be joined by Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf, the first Muslim to hold that post, as well as faith leaders of most religions. Words in the Celtic languages and Greek will be spoken, the latter to honour the King’s late father, Prince Philip.
The service will also feature Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jewish leaders who will have roles in the proceedings along with female clergy. While the coronation fundamentally remains an Anglican rite, the oaths will make clear that the King will commit to a multifaith society and “seek to foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely.”
Over the years, there has been much speculation that Charles would not reign as “Defender of the Faith,” but rather “of Faiths.” While the traditional forms are being observed, the context of the oaths is modernised to reflect the change in the religious composition of the U.K. and Commonwealth.
In 1953, the coronation was largely attended by hereditary members of the House of Lords and other holders of great offices, who largely represented the Christian faith with little racial diversity. Now, the guests will be more representative of the Commonwealth and the community, and include young people recognized for their voluntary contributions and charitable representatives. The goal is to reflect contemporary society more fully than before. The attendance and participation of the Queen Consort’s children and grandchildren from her previous marriage, including her former husband, reflects contemporary blended families.
Each of the realms, including Canada, will be represented by their governor general and prime minister, as well as other representatives chosen by their governments. Governors general from three of the 14 Commonwealth realms – Canada New Zealand and Belize – are drawn from Indigenous communities, and six are women.
Diversity was not even a thought in developing the guest list in 1953, but in 2023, it is a fundamental principle.
TIARAS, CORONETS AND GOWNS
This will be one of the most dressed-up royal affairs in a long time. Although not to the same degree as the last coronation, it will be glittering around the King and Queen Consort. What is worn will be immortalized in photos and public interest for a long time. The King will be in uniform rather than silk and the Queen Consort will be in a specially designed gown.
The King and Queen Consort will wear repurposed robes which were used by George VI and Elizabeth II. The Queen Consort will also wear a new Robe of Estate, drawing on the themes of nature and the environment as depicted in the invitation. The role of Prince George as the first grandchild of the sovereign to participate in his grandfather’s coronation will attract a lot of interest. The prince, along with Queen Consort Camilla’s grandchildren, will act as pages, keeping the robes moving along.
It remains to be seen whether the female members of the Royal Family will wear tiaras, but there is no doubt there will be a lot of glitter on display with St Edward’s Crown and the lighter Imperial State Crown for the King, as well as Queen Mary’s Crown, repurposed for the Queen Consort.
The expectation is that most guests will dress as if for a wedding, with hats or fascinators. Men will be in morning suits or uniforms with medals. With the elimination of the role of the hereditary lords, the coronets and the ermine-lined coronation gowns have also been dispensed with. In their place will be parliamentary robes, which are not as grand.
PROTEST AND APATHY
The last coronation took place on the eve of the end of Empire, but in 2023 there are increasing questions about the role and future of the monarchy itself. In the U.K., the current first ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have recently said they are committed to becoming republics. This will also be true for many Commonwealth realm prime ministers who are attending.
The widespread public approval and respect shown to Queen Elizabeth II has not transferred to the same extent to King Charles III in most of the Commonwealth realms. In the Caribbean, there is active consideration of different arrangements for the role of head of state. In Canada and Australia, public support for a constitutional monarchy has fallen over the past few years, and it is not clear how much of a role it will have in this new reign. However, constitutional change in both federations is complicated and difficult, and there are many other issues on the public agenda.
These are major challenges for the Crown, which have impacted public interest and participation. For this reason, we see a much greater emphasis on the public service role the monarchy can play in a parliamentary democracy. In the contemporary era, monarchy must be seen to have a purpose that is useful to the population, with value for money and the consent of the people, rather than to reign by divine right, which a coronation would otherwise suggest.
There will likely be some protests, with republican groups taking advantage of this opportunity to promote their views. There is also a degree of public apathy about the coronation, particularly as it is overtly religious, reflecting Christianity and the Church of England in an increasingly secular age.
BRINGING THE CORONATION INTO A ‘CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT’
The 2023 coronation and associated events will be on a scale not seen for many generations and are unlikely to be repeated. The previous rituals are not remembered by many who are alive today.
Although the coronation satisfies some constitutional and legal requirements with the taking of oaths, it is principally a symbolic wedding marrying the King and Queen Consort to the nations they serve and their people. The other major purpose is religious, as the ceremony consecrates and anoints the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith.
King Charles has made significant changes to some coronation customs. But it is likely to fall on his son, Prince William, along with his grandson, Prince George, to fully bring the coronation into a contemporary and secular context in the next reign, while maintaining its aura as a link with the distant past.
