Charles III crowned king at first UK coronation in 70 years
After a lifetime as the heir to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles III was officially crowned king on Saturday in the first coronation in Britain since 1953.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, put the solid gold St Edward's Crown on Charles' head at 12:02 p.m. as a sacred and ancient emblem of the monarch's authority.
At the culmination of the solemn ecclesiastical confirmation of his ascension, cries of "God Save the King" broke out from the 2,300-strong congregation at Westminster Abbey, and trumpet fanfares sounded.
Outside, gun salutes rang out across land and sea, and church bells rang out in celebration across the country.
The build-up to the Christian prayer and praise service — entrenched in 1,000 years of British history and tradition, with gorgeous robes and valuable regalia — has been generally joyous.
Before Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, left Buckingham Palace for a rainy procession to the abbey, police arrested hundreds of demonstrators, using new powers rushed into the statute book to crack down on direct action organisations.
Republic, an anti-monarchy organisation that demands an elected head of state, reported six of its organisers were detained, while climate campaigners Just Stop Oil said 19 of its members were detained.
Nonetheless, scores of Republic activists waved banners aloft along the ceremonial path, proclaiming, "Not My King."
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International also expressed alarm over the arrests. "This is something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London," HRW stated.
The Metropolitan Police Service in London has 11,500 officers on the streets in one of its largest ever security operations. It has issued a warning that it has a "extremely low threshold" for protests.
It was the first coronation in 70 years, as well as the first of a king since 1937. It was just the second to be aired, the first in colour, and the first to be streamed online.
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Much of the two-hour Anglican ritual, during which Charles pledged, "I come not to be served, but to serve," would have been familiar to the 39 other monarchs who had been crowned at Westminster Abbey since 1066.
While many of the complicated rites and ceremonial to establish Charles as his people's "undoubted king" remained in place, the king tried to modernise other components of the service.
For the first time, women bishops took part, as did leaders of Britain's non-Christian faiths, and its Celtic languages — Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Irish Gaelic — were prominently included.
For the first time at a coronation, a gospel choir performed, while a Greek choir intoned a hymn in honour of Charles' late father, Prince Philip, who was born on the Greek island of Corfu.
Charles is the highest governor of the Church of England as king, and he has defined himself as a "committed Anglican Christian."
However, he governs a more religiously and ethnically diverse country than his mother did in the aftermath of World War II.
As a result, he wanted to make the congregation more representative of British society by asking regular citizens to sit alongside heads of state and world monarchy.
Another difference was that the coronation themes reflected his longstanding passion in nature and sustainability.
To fill the abbey, seasonal flowers and foliage were brought from the wind-battered Isle of Skye in northwest Scotland to Cornwall at the point of England's southwest coast.
Previous coronations' ceremonial garments were reused, and the anointing oil — made from olives grown on the Mount of Olives and flavoured with essential oils — was vegan.
Charles was anointed behind a three-sided screen in front of the High Altar, away from the congregation, to the sounds of Handel's soaring anthem "Zadok the Priest," which has been sung at every coronation since 1727.
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The coronation has been hailed as "a proud expression of our history, culture, and traditions" by Rishi Sunak, Britain's first black prime minister, who read from the Bible during the event.
However, not everyone is convinced: polls show that support for the monarchy is dwindling, particularly among younger people.
Prince Andrew, Charles's eldest brother, was booed as he approached the abbey, owing to his association with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Harry, another royal exile who has lambasted the family since departing for the United States in 2020, attended the coronation on his lonesome.
Overseas, Charles' position as hereditary king and head of state of 14 Commonwealth countries appears to be deteriorating.
Both Jamaica and Belize declared this week that countries are heading towards becoming republics, and Australia, Canada, and others may follow suit in the future.
Meanwhile, Britons dealing with rising living costs have questioned whether taxpayers should foot the tab for the coronation, which is expected to cost more than £100 million ($126 million).
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Nonetheless, the massive crowds of royal admirers that have gathered on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace all week show that the royals continue to play an important part in British society and history.
Many of those gathered to witness have flown in from other countries, highlighting the royal family's unrivalled position as Britain's premier global brand.
Christine Wilen travelled to the event from Niagara Falls, Canada.
"I'm very excited to be here, to be a part of this history," Wilen remarked, sporting a Canadian-themed visor and sweater.
"It's just too good an opportunity to miss," Nick Demont, 60, remarked outside the abbey. "There's a good chance I won't see another one."
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