Big day for the British monarchy. King Charles III will be crowned in a ceremony that has a history of over 1000 years

UPDATE 12:21 – The royal couple left in the carriage to Westminster Abbey

King Charles III left Buckingham Place through the Central Gate. The journey to Westminster Abbey is known as the King’s Procession.

The return journey – with a much larger group – will be the Coronation Procession.

They are given a royal salute from the Royal Guard as they depart.

The crowds burst into loud cheers, he broadcasts BBC.

Their Majesties are on their way to Westminster Abbey! #Coronation pic.twitter.com/q2iPnOjSfz

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 6, 2023

Charles, the friend of Romania, is today crowned King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

His last visit to Romania took place in May of last year. He said, from the stage of the Thalia Hall, in Sibiu: “Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great joy to be in Romania again after 3 years of absence. My thoughts were with you during this difficult time”, he said, after he had stopped coming to Romania due to the COVID pandemic.

Prince Charles arrived for the first time in the towns of southern Transylvania in the spring of 1998. It was love at first sight. There may also be an explanation: a blood connection. Countess Claudia Rhedey, born in 1812 in Sângeorgiu de Pădure, is the great-great-grandmother of the Prince of Wales. The villagers say that this was a simple woman.

Ceremony

With the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, Charles III became king.

In the days that followed, he was officially proclaimed the new monarch of Great Britain and now, after months of painstaking preparation, the coronation ceremony takes place on May 6, 2023.

The coronation is part of a long weekend of celebrations in honor of the new monarch, from street parties to concerts.

Thousands of people will gather at Westminster Abbey and the surrounding streets in central London.

Charles’ coronation is expected to be shorter than his mother’s seven decades ago.

Back then, the ceremony – which was the first live royal event to be televised – lasted more than three hours.

This time, many experts suggest it is likely to last two hours at most.

Participants and absentees

• Along with the royal family, Prince Harry, who broke away from the royal family and left Great Britain in 2020 for California, will also participate. The prince confirmed his presence after months of negotiations with Buckingham Palace.
• Numerous foreign leaders, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have confirmed their participation
• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, as well as key members of the government, will be present at the ceremony
• Crowned heads from around the world, including Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Denmark’s Prince Frederik and Princess Mary, Japan’s Prince Fuhimito and Princess Kiko, Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania will also be present
• Hundreds of people who have done great things for their community and been decorated by Buckingham Palace, such as schoolboy Max Woosey, who slept in a tent in his garden for three years to raise money for a hospice, or Richard Thomas, who delivered thousands of medicines to the sick during the COVID-19 pandemic, will attend the ceremony
• 400 young members of associations supported by the royal family.
• A small number of 80 members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
• The children of Queen Consort Camilla, food critic Tom Parker Bowles and his sister Laura Lopes, art curator, are among the guests

The great absentees

• The President of Croatia – although he was going to participate, his plane broke down and he can no longer arrive at the coronation
• American President Joe Biden will be represented by his wife, Jill Biden. Never before has an American president attended the coronation of a British monarch. The United States of America gained its independence from the British Empire after a long bloody conflict – the American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783). Having cooperated in both world wars, the two great English-speaking powers maintain a special relationship.
• Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry, will stay in California with their two children, Lilibet and Archie, who will be four years old on the day of the coronation. Prince Harry’s wife criticized the British royal house for racism.

What happens during the coronation service? The route and the schedule

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will lead the ceremony.

The basic elements of the service are recognition, oath, anointing, investiture, crowning and homage.

Recognition is when the sovereign presents himself to the people.

After taking the coronation oath (to rule according to the law, to exercise justice with mercy and to support the Church of England) – the monarch is anointed with holy oil by the archbishop.

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will leave Buckingham Palace in a black and gold horse-drawn carriage built for Queen Elizabeth’s 60th birthday.

The 2-kilometer route is slightly shorter than the one that Queen Elizabeth II traveled.

The procession will pass through Admiralty Arch; next to Trafalgar Square and a statue of Charles I, the beheaded monarch in 1649; and past the Parliament before arriving at the religious service.

Schedule for Coronation Day – Saturday 6 May 2023

• 8:00: Coronation viewing areas will open along the main procession route
• 9:15: Guests of Westminster Abbey will begin arriving at security checkpoints in Victoria Tower Gardens.
• 11:00: The congregation will be seated inside Westminster Abbey.
• 11:30-12:45: Coronation guests, including the royal family, heads of state and former prime ministers are scheduled to arrive.
• 11:45: The Sovereign Cavalry Escort of the Royal Household will prepare to assemble for the Procession at Buckingham Palace.
• 12:20: The King and Queen will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.
• 13:00: The main event, the coronation, will take place. The ceremony will begin once the royals have finished their arrival procession from Buckingham Palace. Before Charles’s coronation, a number of ceremonial acts will be performed. The Archbishop of Canterbury will ask for the recognition of the monarch.
• 15:00: The coronation procession is expected to begin as the royals return from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, with nearly 4,000 troops expected to be involved.
• 15:45: The Royal Salute – The King and Queen are saluted on the west terrace of the Buckingham Palace garden, after which the military personnel present will give three cheers.
• 16:15: 15 members of the royal family will gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the flight that will pay tribute to Charles and Camilla.
• The route can be followed on the Royal House’s Twitter page – https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1645180323599118337?s=20

Schedule for Sunday, May 7, 2023

• 14:00: To mark the official coronation of King Charles III as Britain’s monarch, Coronation Big Lunches will bring communities together during the special coronation weekend. Big lunches are held annually in the UK and last year they raised over £22m for local charities. King Charles and Camilla have officially chosen a coronation quiche as the dish for the big lunch.
• 17:00: The other big event of the day is the coronation concert. The event will take place on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle, marking the first time a concert has been held on the premises. Ticket holders will be welcomed to the event starting at 5:00 p.m., with a crowd of 20,000 expected to attend.
• 21:00: Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Take That, among others, will be present at the Coronation Concert, with the event starting at 21:00.

Schedule for Monday, May 8, 2023

Public holiday Monday, May 8, has been declared a public holiday to mark the King’s coronation.

This will be valid throughout the UK, and in recognition of the King’s concern for strengthening local communities, the public will be encouraged to volunteer and join projects in their region as part of the “Big Help Out” campaign.