What to expect at the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla

Saturday’s coronation is a Church of England service that will see King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, crowned at Westminster Abbey in London in a ceremony steeped in 1,000 years of history.

While many traditions have been preserved, some changes have been made to shorten the ceremony – about two hours, down from the last three hours, for Queen Elizabeth in 1953.

Some changes in service also seems to be intended to try to create a feeling of greater inclusivity and to emphasize the importance of Charles’ place in the service.

“There are some interesting new elements,” Craig Prescott, a constitutional law expert at Bangor University in Wales, said in an interview.

“I think it’s very open, where the King says I’m here to serve – I’m really interesting and generally setting the tone.”

Bob Morris, an honorary staff member of the constitution unit at University College London, said many small changes “were designed to bring together in the ceremony a larger group of people than were brought together in 1953.”

“Aristocrats are almost entirely absent.”

The service will include a female cleric for the first time, and the participation of representatives of other religions.

“Faith leaders and representatives of the Jewish, Sunni and Shia, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Bahai and Zoroastrian communities will be part of the procession to Westminster Abbey,” the Church of England said at the coronation liturgy.

“It reflects the multifaith nature of our society and the importance of including other faiths while respecting the integrity of different traditions.”

Here are some key elements of the coronation and the spectacle that will surround it on Saturday.

Procession to the monastery

King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will travel in a procession — much smaller than the one that took place in 1953 — from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey before the service, which begins at 6 a.m. ET.

They will travel in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, and not more uncomfortable and old Golden State Coach, which will be used to return to the palace after the ceremony.

WATCH | 5 important moments of the coronation:

“The interesting thing here is that he traveled to the coronation in one coach, which is modern and beautiful [Diamond Jubilee] State Coach,” Judith Rowbotham, a social and cultural scholar and research professor at the University of Plymouth in southwest England, said in an interview.

That, like anything else, is for practical reasons, he said.

“The Gold State coach may look spectacular, but it’s horrible to ride,” Rowbotham said, noting that after Queen Elizabeth rode in 1953, she described the ride as “horrible, and she’s not a woman who could ever complain in her life.”

The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was built to mark Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, and was first used in 2014. According to the Royal Collection Trust, it “combines traditional craftsmanship and modern technology,” with six hydraulic stabilizers preventing the aluminum body from swaying.

Recognition

There were several important moments in the coronation ceremony. The recognition, when Charles is given – four times – to people, is the first element of the traditional coronation ceremony, the church said.

Unlike previous coronations, the Archbishop of Canterbury will not perform any part of the ceremony himself. He will be joined by representatives of the oldest knightly orders in England and Scotland and the armed forces.

Whenever Charles was presented, the congregation would chant “God save the King.”

Oath

The Archbishop of Canterbury will administer the oath, asking Charles a variety of questions, including that he will “solemnly swear and swear to rule the nations of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, other territories and territories within these territories. and customs?”

That part of the oath marks a change from 1953, which saw nature, including Canada, identified by name.

Anointing

The most sacred part of the coronation ceremony is one that will never be seen.

A special oil – vegan this time – will be poured from a golden flask – an ampulla – into a coronation spoon.

Behind the scenes and seated in the coronation chair, Charles will then be anointed with oil on his hands, chest and head by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

When the anointing is done, the choir sings the national anthem Priest Zadokwhich has long been part of coronation rites, but became more famous after it was set to music by George Frideric Handel for the coronation of King George II in 1727.

Regalia and crown

At this point of service, the coronation regalia will be presented.

They included spurs, which Charles would recognize as symbols of honor and courage, armills (or bracelets), the Sovereign’s Orb and the Sovereign’s Ring.

Charles will acknowledge the ring, but will not place it on his finger, and instead return to the altar. (At the coronation of Queen Victoria, the ring was put on the wrong finger, causing great pain to the young monarch.)

The Archbishop of Canterbury will also place the scepter and rod in Charles’ hands.

Then comes the crowning moment, as St. Edward’s Crown, which weighs more than two kilograms and was made for the coronation of King Charles II, was placed on Charles’ head. And again, the audience in the monastery will say “God save the King.”

Respect and honor

At this point in his service, Charles will take the throne.

This part of the ceremony will see a significant change from tradition, when the royals and their friends pay their respects to the newly crowned king.

This time, only Prince William, Charles’ eldest son and heir, will pay his respects, pledging loyalty as “life and limb” to his father.

The main change is the introduction of “Homage of the people”, which will invite “all who wish” in the monastery and watch from other places to declare their loyalty to the new king. It was, the church said, “a new and significant moment in the coronation tradition.”

Coronation of the Queen

This time, the service was dedicated to Camilla, the Queen Consort.

Oil from the ampulla would be poured into the spoon and the Archbishop of Canterbury would anoint him on the forehead.

Unlike Charles’ anointing, this will happen in public view.

“This anointing will take place without a screen or a canopy to demonstrate the different nature of the anointing of the empress compared to the ruling authority, because this anointing is with the consent of the authority,” the church said.

Camilla will also be given the Queen’s Ring, which will then be returned to the high altar, and crowned with a modified Queen Mary’s Crown.

The choice of Queen Mary’s 1911 crown – with the addition of some of Queen Elizabeth’s jewels – also effectively removed the potential controversy over whether Camilla’s crown would include the famous – and contested – Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Camilla will also be given the rod and scepter, and take her place on the throne next to Charles. At that time, the national anthem composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber will be sung.

Communion, departure and return to Buckingham Palace

After taking communion, King Charles and Queen Camilla will leave the throne and go behind the high altar, where Charles will take from St. Edward’s Crown and gave the Imperial State Crown.

Before leaving the monastery, Charles will also acknowledge the greetings of the faith leaders and will greet the governor general. Charles and Camilla will then leave Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach for the procession back to Buckingham Palace, where senior members of the Royal Family will be seen on the balcony.