Archbishop of Canterbury crowns King Charles III in the UK

May 9, 2023



Saturday,  crowned King Charles III as sovereign of the United Kingdom and the other ; Charles' wife,, was crowned  in the , London ceremony.

Charles became king on September 8, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died, so the was symbolic, though the government planned it for months.

The BBC estimated the ceremony, which Welby presided over, lasted two hours, shorter than Elizabeth II's 70 years ago, with 2300 people attending, including foreign dignitaries and diplomats.

"I come not to be served, but to serve," Charles said at the beginning of the coronation. At 74, Charles was the oldest person to ascend to the British throne.

Welby Charles with  behind a screen lifted by soldiers, while a choir sang , part of every British coronation for almost 300 years.

Although the ceremony was followed the Anglican traditions of the, it was the first representatives from Buddhism, Hinduism, , Judaism, and Islam attended.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak read from the Bible. Songs in, , and were also part of the proceedings.

Welby placed upon Charles' head while he sat in the, with the  placed underneath it.

who is heir to the throne, kissed his father's cheek and pledged loyalty. Charles' second son,, was also in attendance, though without his spouse,.

After the crowning, attendees shouted: "God save the King!" rang out across the kingdom.

Afterwards, Charles and Camilla traveled to in the horse-drawn, escorted by soldiers, along streets lined by thousands of onlookers.

Anti-monarchy groups were also present, including, advocating for an end to monarchy. According to the Metropolitan Police, it arrested 52 when they arrived to protest. The Met had advised they would take a 'low tolerance' approach to disruptions of the ceremony.

Human Rights Watch said, "the reports of people being arrested for peacefully protesting the coronation are incredibly alarming," and added it was "something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London."

The police actions were justified, said Commander : "Our duty is to do so in a proportionate manner in line with relevant legislation."