The British coronation ceremony, during which the sovereign is crowned as the reigning monarch, is an occasion for pomp and circumstance.
But it is also a solemn religious ceremony and one that has stayed basically unchanged for more than thousand years.
Here are some little-known facts about the ceremony:
1. Westminster Abbey has held every coronation since 1066.
Before the Abbey, they would be held at whichever location was most convenient, including Bath, Oxford and Canterbury. However the religious ceremony has remained largely unchanged for more than 1,000 years.
2. King Charles will be the 40th sovereign crowned at Westminster Abbey.
The coronation does not mark the moment a new monarch is anointed. There is never a moment when there is no monarch. In fact, upon a king or queen’s death, their heir immediately becomes the new succeeding monarch.
The Accession Council meets within days at St. James’ Palace to legally confirm the new monarch. Public proclamations are made in various locations across the country. This would have been the way the news about a monarch was spread in centuries past.
3. More than 2,000 guests will be invited to the coronation, a total slightly under the capacity of Westminster Abbey. This is in contrast to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which had four times the amount, who were accommodated in special seating.
4. The coronation, which will be funded by the U.K. government, is expected to be less extravagant than in the past. The Queen’s coronation is estimated to have cost £1.57 million (CAD$2.63 million) in 1953, the equivalent of £46 million (CAD $77.13 million) today.
5. Planning for the King’s coronation had been underway for years under the secret code name Operation Golden Orb. As part of the ceremony, the King will be invested with the regalia of the sovereign’s gold orb and jewel-encrusted sceptres.
6. The coronation emblem incorporates the flora of the four nations of the United Kingdom. The flora includesthe rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland. Together the images make up the shape of St. Edward’s Crown.
7. The coronation ceremony includes the anointing of the new monarch. The anointing oil has been perfumed with the essential oils of sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber and orange blossom.
The oil, consecrated in Jerusalem, was produced from olives that grew from groves on the Mount of Olives, at the Monastery of the Ascension and the Monastery of Mary Magdalene, the burial place of Charles' grandmother Princess Alice of Greece.
He was the first child to see his mother’s coronation as Sovereign. Princess Anne was too young and did not attend. It’s unclear if all of his grandchildren will attend the coronation; however, it's confirmed that Prince George will be there.
The crown weighs 4 pounds and 12 ounces and is made of solid gold. Historically used at the moment of coronation, the crown was quietly removed from the Tower of London in December to be resized for the King in time for his coronation. It was initially made for Charles II’s coronation to replace the medieval crown parliamentarians melted in 1649 after King Charles I was executed.
The crown jewels are kept at the Tower of London in the Jewel House under armed guard. They’re held in trust by the king and queen for the nation and passed on to the next monarch upon their accession.
10. The coronation oath is the only aspect of the ceremony that’s mandated by law. In the oath, the monarch will pledge to govern the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms. However, the oath’s wording has evolved over the years to reflect territorial changes and the King’s oath may be different than his mother’s.
11. Coronation Chicken, now a well-known filling for sandwiches, was invented for foreign guests attending the Queen’s ceremony. Florist Constance Spry is credited with coming up with the recipe for the cold chicken in a curry cream sauce with a dressed salad of rice, green peas, and mixed herbs and since become known as Coronation Chicken.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Foreign interference by China did not affect the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 general elections won by Justin Trudeau's Liberals, a federal commission of inquiry has found.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
A new pilot program which will notify the public of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people is set to be implemented in Manitoba.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
The first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel for Canada's Pacific fleet will officially be commissioned in a ceremony featuring Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles.
A zebra that escaped from a trailer east of Seattle last weekend remained on the lam Friday, as authorities closed off trailheads at a nature area in hopes of keeping people away and easing her capture.
Former White House official and Donald Trump adviser Hope Hicks took the stand Friday at the former president's hush money trial and recounted how his 2016 campaign became embroiled in a political firestorm over a recording in which he boasted about grabbing women without their permission.
Police ordered pro-Palestinian protesters to clear out of a tent encampment at New York University early Friday, a move that follows weeks of demonstrations and police confrontations at college campuses nationwide that have resulted in more than 2,300 arrests.
They're lounging, biting each other and generally making a ruckus in numbers not seen in more than a decade. And don't even think about stealing their anchovies.
A prominent surgeon in Gaza has died in an Israeli prison after being held for more than four months, according to Palestinian prisoners’ groups, which decried his death as part of a “systematic targeting” of health care workers.
Foreign interference by China did not affect the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 general elections won by Justin Trudeau's Liberals, a federal commission of inquiry has found.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
New Brunswick's virtual health-care service is violating provincial law by failing to consistently provide services in French, the province's official languages commissioner says.
Google's preeminence as an internet search engine is an illegal monopoly propped up by more than US$20 billion spent each year by the tech giant to lock out competition, U.S. Justice Department lawyers argued at the closings of a high-stakes antitrust lawsuit.
Many species of animals form social groups and behave collectively: An elephant herd follows its matriarch, flocking birds fly in unison, humans gather at concert events. Even humble fruit flies organize themselves into regularly spaced clusters, researchers have found.
China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Ontario is set to clamp down on bad employers with big fines. Labour Minister David Piccini says his government will introduce legislation next week that will see fines increased for violations of the Employment Standards Act.
Italy's Ministry of Health has banned the popular wellness trend of "puppy yoga" amid concerns that the puppies used in the practice could be exploited and mistreated.
A Montreal astrologer and horoscope writer just got a boost on his retirement budget, after winning Loto-Quebec’s Grande-Vie prize, which comes in the form of $1,000 a day for life.
Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets, Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks and Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators are the finalists for this season's Jack Adams Award.
Drivers in Saskatchewan will now lose their licence for a week and their vehicle for a month if they are caught committing certain high-speed and dangerous offences on the road.
Rolls-Royce is vastly expanding its factory in Chichester, England. The BMW subsidiary is adding five new buildings with construction planned to start next year.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
A California man has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for attempting to smuggle a ghost gun across the Canadian border last year, authorities announced Friday.
B.C. libraries have been targeted by a hacker who demanded a ransom or they would release user data that includes the phone numbers and email addresses of some clients.
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is responding to criticism over Toronto‘s efforts to decriminalize drugs in the wake of the opioid crisis, saying it misses a much more urgent need.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
The Ottawa Police Service is asking the public for help in identifying a suspect allegedly involved with a sexual assault that happened at a home on Albert Street three months ago.
A new CTV Morning Live Podcast is launching this week. The first episode is available now on the iHeartRadio app, featuring some of the best CTV Morning Live’s segments. This includes news, lifestyle segments and some fun.
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Quebec judge overseeing the trial of a person accused of killing a cyclist with their car has raised concerns that an amendment to the province's language charter could cause 'undue delays' for trials held in English.
Fishery officers seized nearly 30 kilograms of elvers at a Yarmouth County, N.S., holding facility on Wednesday, arresting three people in the process.
A New Brunswick mayor is defending her town's new policy that will prohibit Pride banners from being displayed on lampposts in the community -- a move a local LGBTQ group says sends a harmful message.
A new pilot program which will notify the public of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people is set to be implemented in Manitoba.
The North Central Family Centre (NCFC) has launched a capital campaign to help aid in the completion of a major project they are in the midst of building.
More than 100 teachers at the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) are learning they have been declared surplus will likely be out of a job as of Aug. 12.
Kaitlyn Braun, the Brantford, Ont. woman who previously admitted to deceiving doulas and is facing similar charges again, is not seeking bail at this time, her lawyer said Friday.
The jury deciding the fate of a man responsible for a fatal firebombing in Sudbury found him guilty of three counts of first-degree murder on Friday afternoon.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
A family claims it’s concerned for their loved one in a Nanaimo-based long-term care facility as they work with staff and Island Health to resolve some of their complaints.
The first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel for Canada's Pacific fleet will officially be commissioned in a ceremony featuring Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
The bell at Erle Rivers High School in Milk River, Alta., will ring for the last time on June 26, as the 114-year-old school is scheduled to be torn down to make way for a new K-12 school.
Phase 1 of the reconstruction of Queen Street in downtown Sault Ste. Marie is getting underway, although it will be scaled down from the original plan.
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.