King Charles III: Buckingham Palace reveals when his coronation will be

King Charles III of the United Kingdom will be crowned on Saturday May 6, 2023 in a solemn ceremony at Westminster Abbey of London with the queen consort, Camila, Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday.

The 73-year-old British monarch, who ascended to the throne automatically on the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, on September 8, will receive, after a period of several months of mourning and preparation for the ceremony, the crown, the scepter and the orb, symbols of his reign.

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The religious rite, officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, “will reflect the role of the monarch today and look to the future, while being rooted in pageantry and historical traditions,” described the Palace.

The May church service is expected to include the main traditional elements that have been repeated without alteration for centuries, along with some novel components, in keeping with the “spirit of our times”, Buckingham has suggested.

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Among commentators on the monarchy in the United Kingdom Carlos III is expected to opt for a somewhat more modest ceremony than his mother’s lavish coronation and that it reflects his desire to apply some austerity to British royalty.

The first coronation ceremony broadcast on television in the world, the consecration of Elizabeth II took place on June 2, 1953, sixteen months after her ascension to the throne on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father George VI. It had more than 8,000 guests and lasted more than three hours.

Carlos III assumed the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

For 900 years, the coronations of British monarchs have been held in the majestic Westminster Abbey and since 1066 it has almost always been presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury. And this will not be an exception.

But, in a United Kingdom mired in a serious crisis due to the cost of living, the ceremony is expected to be more discreet than that of Elizabeth II and, at the request of King Charles III, more representative of the diversity of British society today.

The new monarch will swear before the archbishop his intention to reign over his country and the other 14 of which he is head of state, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, “according to their respective laws and customs”, as well as applying the “law and justice” in their decisions.

Carlos III is expected to opt for a somewhat more modest ceremony than his mother’s lavish coronation

Camila will be crowned with Carlos III as queen consort with a liturgy “similar, although simpler”, as described by Buckingham Palace.

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Only in the event that the new monarch is a woman, her husband is not crowned with her, as was the case with Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip of Edinburgh.

Official spokesmen for the British king will offer “in due course” more details about the organization of next year’s ceremony, which in 1953 brought together heads of state and government from the Commonwealth and numerous countries in London.

Charles III, long one of the least popular members of the British royal family, saw his acceptance skyrocket to 70% after taking the throne in September. Still, he remains far behind his eldest son William, 40, and his wife Kate, favorites of the British with 84% and 80% respectively.

*With information from EFE and AFP