The Coronation

[PrincessOfPeace]

The Telegraph: Prince William takes 'active role' in planning King Charles's coronation.

Heir to the throne involved in preparations for the May 6 event as royals urged to make the ceremony less 'archaic.

archive.ph

[TLLK]

Well considering that KCIII's reign is likely to be shorter than his predecessors, his successor is likely to model his own coronation/ascension ceremony after the one his father will have in 2023.  So it seems logical to have William involved with the planning. Of the recent European ceremonies, the one for King W-A of  The Netherlands in 2013 is likely to be one of the few that involves a long guest list, a procession of members of a royal family and government officials , a more formal dress code a royal robe etc.. but even W-A did not wear the crown. Most of Charles' European peers' ceremonies have been streamlined events where there is an oath taken in front of elected officials, a parade,  a balcony appearance and on occasion a religious service.

[Curryong]

The great difference between the British and the European monarchs is of course that the Anglican Church (the Church of England) is practically the Church of State and the monarch is always the Supreme Governor. Therefore the religious ceremony (anointing and so on) at Coronations is not only replete with symbolism but also is a unique blend of Church and State. This may well change in the future with a split between the two elements. However it will be quite difficult for Charles (or William) for that matter to change the rituals too much as things stand at the moment.

[Curryong]

Incidentally, and I meant to post this earlier, several ?expert? astrologers have already called the date ?inauspicious? as a full moon occurs on May 6th (can cause erratic and overwrought behaviour) and also Mercury is retrograde from late April 2023 until mid May.

Some astrologers have gone OTT themselves when investigating the charts and are claiming that there is likely to be a postponement (a la Edward VII) or cancellation.

I wouldn?t go that far myself, but it is quite odd that communications of all sorts (both international and regional) do tend to go awry when Mercury is retro. So perhaps arrangements both verbal and written might cause difficulties. It can also mean glitches in things like international satellites.

[TLLK]

The great difference between the British and the European monarchs is of course that the Anglican Church (the Church of England) is practically the Church of State and the monarch is always the Supreme Governor. Therefore the religious ceremony (anointing and so on) at Coronations is not only replete with symbolism but also is a unique blend of Church and State. This may well change in the future with a split between the two elements. However it will be quite difficult for Charles (or William) for that matter to change the rituals too much as things stand at the moment.

That is a good point @Curryong. While the some of the Catholic monarchies and principalities will incorporate a Mass close to the ascension ceremony, the connection of the British monarch and the Church of England does play a significant role in the Coronation.

[sara8150]

Prince William set to take on exciting 'active role' in King Charles' coronation ceremony | Royal | News | Express.co.uk

King Charles III set to 'continue' one of the Queen's beloved traditions | Royal | News | Express.co.uk

Prince William 'will take active role in planning King's coronation' - Mirror Online

Prince William takes 'active role' in King Charles' coronation in operation 'Golden Orb' - but Harry's part is unclear |

[sara8150]

The Orb and Sceptre at the Coronation of King Charles III ? Royal Central

The Crown that will be placed on King Charles III?s head at his coronation ? Royal Central

[Curryong]

The Crown that will be placed on King Charles III?s head at his coronation ? Royal Central

This bit I found especially interesting.

From Queen Anne?s coronation in 1702 until King Edward VII?s coronation in 1902, St. Edward?s Crown was present at the ceremony but not actually worn. Queen Victoria?s son had hoped to wear it but was recovering from a serious illness and could not handle the significant weight of the crown. Edward?s son, King George V, revived the tradition of the monarch wearing the crown during their coronation.

[LouisFerdinand]

King Chareles III's Coronation is already brewing serious controversy   
King Charles' Coronation Is Already Brewing Serious Controversy - YouTube

[Amabel2]

The Crown that will be placed on King Charles III?s head at his coronation ? Royal Central

This bit I found especially interesting.

From Queen Anne?s coronation in 1702 until King Edward VII?s coronation in 1902, St. Edward?s Crown was present at the ceremony but not actually worn. Queen Victoria?s son had hoped to wear it but was recovering from a serious illness and could not handle the significant weight of the crown. Edward?s son, King George V, revived the tradition of the monarch wearing the crown during their coronation.

so are you saying that none of the Monarchs from Queen Anne onwards atually wore the crown during hte ceremony?  did they wear another crown?  why for example did Victoria not wear the crown?  She was a young woman and should have been able to, surely?  Edw VII was recovering from his operation and was not all that well, so it is understandable that he might have had ot forgo wearing the crown

[Curryong]

so are you saying that none of the Monarchs from Queen Anne onwards atually wore the crown during hte ceremony?  did they wear another crown?  why for example did Victoria not wear the crown?  She was a young woman and should have been able to, surely?  Edw VII was recovering from his operation and was not all that well, so it is understandable that he might have had ot forgo wearing the crown

I?m not saying anything, just posting something I wasn?t aware of before, from an article I read yesterday and posted.

My first thoughts when I read that were actually that it was an extraordinarily long time for a crown to just repose on a cushion during Coronations. My second was surprise that the Hanoverian Kings hadn?t bothered to wear it. George III for example was a young and sturdy man. William IV was an ex naval officer and although middle aged was surely healthy enough to wear such a crown (although he disliked ritual and didn?t really want a ceremonial Coronation.)

I?m a bit surprised at Victoria not doing so but maybe the decision was made for her that such a tiny young female couldn?t be expected to bear such a heavy load on her little head (ethos of the day!) Of course Edward VII was in rather poor physical condition aside from the appendix op.

[Amabel2]

sO Im not very clear. I presume the crown was placed on hte head of the monarch, but then removed so that they did not have to wear it throughout the ceremony?

[Curryong]

sO Im not very clear. I presume the crown was placed on hte head of the monarch, but then removed so that they did not have to wear it throughout the ceremony?

The article isn?t very clear. What was copied in my post is what was in the article. But yes, that?s what I took from it. George IV though had a completely new coronet made. I?ll have to take a look at the bio of him (and Queen VIC) on my Kindle and look up those Coronations. That still doesn?t solve what the others did about the St Edward?s Crown however.

Later: This is informative. Scroll right down for info on St Edward?s and other crowns.

St. Edward?s Crown | European Royal History

From the article

Only six monarchs have been crowned with St Edward?s Crown since the Restoration: Charles II (1661), James II (1685), William III (1689), George V (1911), George VI (1937) and Elizabeth II (1953). Mary II and Anne were crowned with small diamond crowns of their own; George I, George II, George III and William IV with the State Crown of George I; George IV with a large new diamond crown made specially for the occasion; and Queen Victoria and Edward VII chose not to use St. Edward?s Crown because of its weight and instead used the lighter 1838 version of the Imperial State Crown. When not used to crown the monarch, St Edward?s Crown was placed on the altar during the coronation; however, it did not feature at all at the coronation of Queen Victoria.

[Amabel2]

Ah that seems to make much more sense.  Thanks for looking it up. wonder if Charles will use it, if it is heavy.  He's reasonably fit for his age but he isnt a young man.

[TLLK]

The Crown that will be placed on King Charles III?s head at his coronation ? Royal Central

This bit I found especially interesting.

From Queen Anne?s coronation in 1702 until King Edward VII?s coronation in 1902, St. Edward?s Crown was present at the ceremony but not actually worn. Queen Victoria?s son had hoped to wear it but was recovering from a serious illness and could not handle the significant weight of the crown. Edward?s son, King George V, revived the tradition of the monarch wearing the crown during their coronation.

This is interesting. I was wondering why there had been such a long period of time in which the monarchs were not wearing the crown during their coronations. Though I have to say that the first thing that came to mind was the weight of the crown.

[Curryong]

Yes, I think it is interesting, especially that so many monarchs from the Stuarts to the late Queen?s great-grandfather chose an assortment of other adornments for their heads rather than the Restoration copy of the crown supposedly worn by Anglo-Saxon Kings.

William III, who really only came to the British throne courtesy of his cousin-wife, chose the St Edward?s while his wife contented herself with some bejewelled diadem at their crowning in 1689, and then it was slim pickings for this very heavy crown until the 20th century and King George V. That is an extraordinary amount of time for a symbol of kingship to be brought out and then just plonked on the altar at all Coronations between times, bar Victoria?s where it didn?t even appear!

As for King Charles III  I think he will try to bear the St Edward?s, but whether he will decide in the end to wear something lighter for the (rumoured much shorter) ceremony, who knows!

[LouisFerdinand]

Will there be arches on the coronation route?

[Curryong]

Will there be arches on the coronation route?

Who knows. I?m sure there?ll be some form of bunting put up by the inhabitants of buildings en-route and/or city authorities but how extensive will depend, I?m sure, on the mood and circumstances of the times.

[sara8150]

Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles III?s coronation will take place on Saturday, 6th May 2023.

It is expected The King will be crowned at a smaller ceremony than that which took place on June 2nd 1953 for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. And the guest list at Her Late Majesty?s Coronation provides some hints as to who can be expected to attend the crowning of King Charles III.

It is rare for other monarchs to attend the Coronation of a Sovereign. Instead, representatives from their family may attend. In 1953, for example, the then Crown Prince of Norway, Olav, attended on behalf of his father, King Haakon VII. Denmark sent Prince Axel while Sweden?s royals sent the Duke of Halland and Belgium was represented by the Prince of Liege, later King Albert II.

It is likely to be a very different guest list from that seen at Westminster Abbey for the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II when sovereigns from Europe and all around the world were in attendance.

Family links also play a part. It is possible that non-reigning royals could be asked given strong family ties so we may see members of the Greek Royal Family, although it seems unlikely that King Constantine will be making the trip from Greece. The Tsar of Bulgaria, the Crown Prince of Serbia and the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, among others could also be at the Abbey.

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which took place on the 2nd of June 1953, is the last concrete example the public can base their hypotheses about what will happen on the 6th of May 2023.

And His Majesty has stated that, although the ceremony will be rooted in tradition, there will also be elements that will make it an event that keeps in mind the entire group of people of whom he will be becoming King.

One of the changes in this Coronation could be the presence of representatives from charities that King Charles has close ties to.

However, there could also be a possibility for the Coronation to be more similar to the accession ceremonies that took place in Belgium and Spain in 2013 and 2014 respectively, where no foreign Royals were present, and the focus was solely on the constitutional transition from one Monarch to the next.

Only time (and specifically the 200 days that separate us from the ceremony) will tell exactly what the Coronation ceremony will look like.

What will King Charles?s coronation guest list look like? ? Royal Central
Articles says will small ceremony not big ceremony same late Queen Elizabeth II?s 1953 coronation but invite members of royal family and some house of European royals I understand Spain and Belgium royals have small ceremony of newly King crowned will not have bigger same past and present of King and Queen but we have wait and see till May 6,2023 if European royals will attend King Charles?s coronation or NOT 🙏🏻🤞🏻

[Princess Cassandra]

I'm sure Prince Phillip will have discussed with his son his frustration as he tried to modernize Queen Elizabeth's coronation and was thwarted at almost every step.  (At least, this is what I have read in many biographies and books on the BRF.)  With that and his own mature ideas the coronation will probably (imho) reflect his own idea of what his reign will be like, i.e., representatives of charitable organizations, strong emphasis on the Commonwealth, family, traditional pageantry (but not over the top) and possible representatives of countries with whom GB has close ties. I'm sure it will maintain the religious significance that he was brought up to respect, and there will be some traditional but important details....I wonder if the royal dukes will have a prominent place as they had in previous coronations. That would mean Kent, York, Sussex, Gloucester, and hopefully Edinburgh.

[sara8150]

King to hold ballots to select coronation attendees: 'Not just rich white people' | Royal | News | Express.co.uk

[Princess Cassandra]

King to hold ballots to select coronation attendees: 'Not just rich white people' | Royal | News | Express.co.uk

Well, that's one big change for sure, and an improvement!

[LouisFerdinand]

Will the Latin shouts of Vivat Rex be heard during the Coronation service?

[Curryong]

Will the Latin shouts of Vivat Rex be heard during the Coronation service?

They may, but it?s doubtful in a foreshortened service as it appears this one will be. And for one it was peers who traditionally called that out straight after the crowning in past Coronations. The peerage is not constituted in the same way now ie the House of Lords no longer expects attendance by every English peer and eligible Scottish ones.

[sara8150]

Meghan and Prince Harry to be sidelined at coronation as King 'wants focus on himself' | Royal | News | Express.co.uk

King Charles's Coronation Day tipped to be split in two events after warning to organisers | Royal | News | Express.co.uk