King Charles, Queen Camilla crowned in once-in-a-generation ceremony
May 06, 2023
- King and queen crowned in front of around 100 world leaders.
- Tens of thousands line streets to witness moment of history.
- Both royals also appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla were Saturday crowned in a historic coronation ceremony, a sumptuous display of pageantry dating back 1,000 years, at Westminster Abbey in London.
The Archbishop of Canterbury — the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church — placed the 360-year-old St Edward's Crown on Charles' head as he sat upon a 14th-century throne in Westminster Abbey in front of a congregation of around 100 world leaders and a television audience of millions. After Charles, his second wife, Camilla was also crowned.
Charles, 74, automatically succeeded his mother as king on her death last September, and the coronation is not essential but regarded as a means to legitimise the monarch in a public way.
After returning to their residence following the two-hour-long ceremony, King Charles appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with his wife Queen Camilla, heir to the throne Prince William and other senior royals but Prince Harry, the King's younger son, was absent.
The live updates of the once-in-a-generation ceremony are below:
18:35 (UTC+5)
Coronation flypast marks end of historic celebrations
The Coronation flypast, marking the end of public Coronation festivities, commenced with five helicopter formations approaching the Buckingham Palace.
After this formation, the RAF Red Arrows zoomed in over the Palace, with royals craning their necks to watch them.
The flypast lasted just two minutes and 30 seconds, scaled back from the original six minutes, due to unfavorable weather.
18:26 (UTC+5)
King, Queen, senior royals appear on Palace balcony
King Charles and Queen Camilla have appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with working members of the royal family, including Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate Middleton.
Also present on the balcony are the monarch's grandkids, including Prince William and Kate's kids Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte, and some of Queen Camilla's grandkids.
Princess Anne and Prince Edward, King Charles' siblings, are also present on the balcony.
18:14 (UTC+5)
Coronation flypast cut back over unsuitable weather conditions
The Coronation flypast over Buckingham Palace has been cut down by two thirds, the UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Due to unsuitable weather conditions, with 90% chance of drizzly rain and low cloud at the scheduled time, the flypast will now only last two minutes and 30 seconds.
It was originally planned to be six minutes long, and feature 60 aircrafts from Royal Navy, British Army and the Royal Air Force.
The only aircrafts taking place in the flypast now are helicopters and the Red Arrows.
18:02 (UTC+5)
Crowds lining streets start filing in front of Palace
In a stunning display of unity, thousands of people who had lined London streets and watched the Coronation Procession file in front of the Buckingham Palace, waiting for the royals to appear on the balcony.
17:37 (UTC+5)
King and Queen reach Buckingham Palace, balcony wave expected soon
The King and Queen are back at the Buckingham Palace, and the balcony appearance is expected soon after with senior members of the royal family.
17:15 (UTC+5 )
All the royals part of the Coronation Procession
The procession is led by the King and Queen in the Gold State Coach, closely followed by the Princess Royal Anne, Charles’ sister, riding on horseback as Colonel of the Blues and Royals and Gold Stick in Waiting.
The first carriage behind the King and Queen carries the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate Middleton, who are riding with their three children Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.
Their carriage is closely followed by the carriage of the King’s youngest brother Prince Edward and his family; wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and their kids Lady Louis Windsor and the Earl of Wessex.
In the last carriage of the Procession are the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, cousins of King Charles’ late mother Queen Elizabeth II, follow behind in a state car.
17:10 (UTC+5)
The Coronation Procession Route
The Coronation Procession has started, with the King and Queen's Gold State Coach on its way to Buckingham Palace.
The Procession route is 1.3 mile long, and will 'avoid large sections of London' previously covered at late Queen Elizabeth's coronation.
The procession will proceed back from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace, taking the royals through Parliament Street, Whitehall, south of Trafalgar Square, the Admiralty Arch, then down The Mall and finally reach Buckingham Palace.
17:08 (UTC+5)
King, Queen inside Gold State Coach
17:05 (UTC+5)
King Charles emerges from Abbey to ringing bells and rain
King Charles, with his Queen Consort, emerged from the Abbey to the glorious sound of ringing bells, and rain that has failed to dampen spirits along the procession route.
16:58 (UTC+5)
King Charles, Queen Camilla step out of St Edward's Chapel
The King and Queen Consort have walked out of St Edward's Chapel, escorted by the four pages, including Prince George.
God Save the King plays as the procession walks down the Abbey towards the exit.
King Charles is seen wearing the Imperial Robe, also referred to as the Robe of Estate, and he carries the Sceptre and Orb in his hands.
16:55 (UTC+5)
Gold State Coach arrives outside Abbey for Coronation Procession
The Gold State Coach has arrived at the Abbey and waits for the royal family to file out of the Coronation ceremony.
The King and Queen Consort are expected to step out of St Edward's Chapel in the next few moments.
16:41 (UTC+5)
King Charles, Queen Camilla make their way to St Edward's Chapel
King Charles and Queen Camilla have descended from their thrones and will now head to the St Edward's Chapel behind the high altar at the Abbey.
From there, they will start the Coronation Process heading back to Buckingham Palace.
16:20 (UTC+5)
Queen Camilla takes her throne beside King Charles
Queen Camilla has joined King Charles on her throne next to his. The historic moment marks the start of their reign as the new King and Queen of England.
16:15 (UTC+5)
Queen Camilla crowned in historic first
Queen Consort Camilla is now being crowned in what is a historic first; she is the first Consort to be formally crowned at the coronation since 1937.
Only female consorts are coronated, and the last one to be crowned was Queen Elizabeth's mother in 1937.
Prince Philip, the late Queen's husband, was not crowned in 1953.
The ceremony asks Queen Camilla to 'honour and help' her spouse, the King, and she is crowned with Queen Mary's crown.
16:11 (UTC+5)
Prince William pledges loyalty to King
Charles' eldest son Prince William pledges his loyalty to his father as the monarch.
In the historic moment, he kneels before the King, swears allegiance and kisses the King's right hand.
16:08 (UTC+5)
The King takes to his throne
In the next stage of the ceremony, King Charles, with the crown on his head, is enthroned.
The moment establishes the start of his reign as the new monarch.
16:00 (UTC+5)
King Charles is crowned
The St Edward's Crown is placed on King Charles' head in a historic moment.
The Abbey erupts in cheers of 'God Save the King', and gun salutes are fired across the UK.
15: 57 (UTC+5)
Prince of Wales, William, vests his father with royal stole
The Prince of Wales, William, is now taking part in the investiture ceremony by putting the garment known as the Stole Royal on the King.
15:51 (UTC+5)
King Charles sits in Coronation Chair for Crowning
King Charles has been anointed behind screens and is now on the Coronation Chair wearing a gold Super Tunica for the investiture ceremony.
As part of this, the St Edward's Crown will be placed on his head as the monarch.
In this stage, he will be crowned and handed Coronation regalia including Charles II's spurs, jeweled sword etc.
15:48 (UTC+5)
King Charles to be anointed in next stage of Coronation
The next stage of the Coronation ceremony is the anointing of King Charles using holy oil.
The anointing with holy oil is considered the most sacred part of the ceremony.
The anointing screens are being brought in.
The King's ceremonial robes are removed as he sits in the Coronation Chair. The screens will shield him from public view.
15:36 (UTC+5)
'We are here to crown a King' - Archbishop
Archbishop Justin Welby restarts the ceremony after Sunak's address and Gospel music.
He says, "We are here to crown a king, and we crown a king to serve."
"The King of Kings, Jesus Christ, was anointed not to be served, but to serve. He creates the unchangeable law that with the privilege of power comes the duty to serve.
Service is love in action. We see active love in our care for the most vulnerable, the way we nurture and encourage the young, in the conservation of the natural world. We have seen those priorities in the life of duty lived by our King."
15:26 (UTC+5)
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers address
UK PM Rishi Sunak has taken the main stage to deliver an address before the next proceedings.
He reads from the Epistle to the Colossians, from the New Testament, reports BBC.
15:16 (UTC+5)
King Charles takes Coronation oath
The Archbishop of Canterbury administers the Coronation Oath, a legal requirement for the ceremony.
Archbishop Justin Welby asks Charles to 'confirm that he will uphold the law and the Church of England during his reign.'
King Charles then places his hand on the Holy Gospel and promises to 'perform and keep' those promises.
The King has also taken the Accession Declaration Oath.
15:08 (UTC+5)
St Edward's Crown seen for the first time
The historic St Edward's Crown is seen and photographed for the first time ahead of the Coronation.
The crown has rarely been seen outside of the Tower of London, and will only be worn for about an hour before being sent back into storage.
15:05 (UTC+5)
King Charles says his first words of service at Abbey
King Charles has shared his first words of service at the Abbey as the congregation fell silent.
He said: "I come not to be served but to serve."
14:57 (UTC+5)
Prince George and other pages escort Queen Camilla into Abbey
Prince George, grandson of the monarch and the second in line to the throne, has lined up with other pages outside and will escort his step-grandmother Queen Camilla into the Abbey.
George and other pages, including Camilla's other grandkids, are holding her train as she walks in to the Abbey.
14:56 (UTC+5)
Prince William, Princess Kate Middleton arrive
The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and wife Kate Middleton have arrived at the Westminster Abbey.
14:48 (UTC+5)
King Charles reaches the Westminster Abbey
King Charles' procession has reached Westminster Abbey. The coronation ceremony will start soon.
14:46 (UTC+5)
Queen Camilla's family arrives at the Abbey
As the Queen Consort makes her way to the Abbey with the King in the King's Procession, her family has arrived in a minibus.
Camilla's son Tom Parker-Bowles and daughter Laura Lopes, and her ex-husband Andrew Parker-Bowles are all part of the group.
14:41 (UTC+5)
Foreign royals, former PMs arrive
Foreign royals and former UK Prime Ministers are spotted arriving at the Abbey.
Royal attendees include King Felipe of Spain, Prince Albert of Manco and Letsie III, King of Lesotho, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan.
Former UK PMs including David Cameron, Tony Blair, Sir John Major, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss are also seen.
14:38 (UTC+5)
Prince Harry arrives at Westminster Abbey
Prince Harry has arrived at the Westminster Abbey to witness his father King Charles' Coronation. He is spotted walking in with cousins Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.
Prince Andrew is also seen walking in ahead of him.
14:38 (UTC +5)
King's Procession makes way to Westminster Abbey
The King's Procession is making its way to the Westminster Abbey, where guests, including royals from around the world and celebs like Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, are already waiting.
The Procession made its way from Admiralty Arch to Whitehall and then the Cenotaph.
14:28 (UTC+5)
Crowds cheer for King Charles, Queen Camilla on The Mall
Crowds lining London streets and waiting for hours erupted in cheers
14:21 (UTC+5)
King Charles, Queen Camilla set off on the King's Procession
King Charles III and his Queen Consort Camilla have taken off from the Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach in what is called the King's Procession.
The King and Queen are given a Royal Salute from the King's Guard as they take off on their journey to the Westminster Abbey, where they will be crowned.
14:18 (UTC+5)
Diamond Jubilee State Coach arrives at Buckingham Palace
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach has arrived at Buckingham Palace with the Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry, the BBC reports.
— Additional input from Reuters
