Dozens of world leaders and heads of state have been invited to the historic event, while millions are expected to watch on television.
The ceremony will take place at London’s Westminster Abbey, where the funeral of Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was held in September following her death at the age of 96.
Street parties
Charles officially became king after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8. The coronation is also a chance for the British public to celebrate their new monarch. Community street parties are planned across the country – although rainy weather, another British tradition, threatens to dampen the festivities.
It will echo Elizabeth’s coronation 70 years ago, but there will be important differences.
“You also had a 25-year-old queen. I mean here — and this is a problem with King Charles and Queen Camilla — and that is their age,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said.
Challenges
That is not the only challenge for the 74-year-old king. A recent poll showed 58% of the public supports the monarchy — but among 18- to 24-year-olds, the level of support is just 32%.
“I think that he realizes the challenges ahead of so far as the monarchy is concerned – it’s very important that there should be some form of acceptance of the monarchy’s links to the slave trade in past years. His environmental credentials are impeccable, I mean, that appeals very, very considerably to a younger base,” Fitzwilliams said.
His Majesty King Charles III, formerly The Prince of Wales, became King on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.
In addition to his official and ceremonial duties in the United Kingdom and overseas as The Prince of Wales, The King has taken a keen and active interest in all areas of public life for decades. The King has been instrumental in establishing more than 20 charities over 40 years, including The Prince’s Trust, The Prince’s Foundation and The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF).
The Prince’s Trust (est.1976) has empowered young people across the United Kingdom for over four decades. The charity has provided young people, aged 11 to 30, with the support and resources they need to thrive in education, employment, and life. The Prince’s Trust is one of the most successful funding organisations in the UK and is the UK’s leading youth charity, having helped over 1,000,000 young people turn their lives around, created 125,000 entrepreneurs, and given business support to 395,000 people in the UK. From 2006 to 2016, its work for the youth has been worth an estimated £1.4 billion. The Prince’s Trust International has been running since 2015, with programmes present in over 20 countries within the Commonwealth [including Uganda] and beyond across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Europe.
The King has promoted environmental awareness since the 1970s. He delivered his first speech on environmental issues in Cardiff aged 21, as chairman of the Welsh Countryside Committee. The King has continually encouraged sustainability to ensure that the natural assets upon which we all depend among other things soil, water, forests, a stable climate and fish stocks endure for future generations.
The King is committed to his role as head of the Commonwealth and has shown significant dedication to the role.
The Coronation
Westminster Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066.
King Charles III succeeded to the Throne on 8th September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch.
The contemporary form of the coronation dates from 1902, when King Edward VII was crowned. This consists of a state procession from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey, another procession inside, the Recognition, the Anointing, the Coronation Oath, the Homage and finally another procession from the Abbey back to the Palace.
Their Majesties’ Coronation will include 12 new commissions of music, including a Coronation Anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a Coronation March by Patrick Doyle, and other works by Ian Farrington, Sarah Class, Nigel Hess, Paul Mealor, Tarik O’Regan, Roxanna Panufnik, Shirley J. Thompson, Judith Weir, Roderick Williams, and Debbie Wiseman.
Week-long celebrations and events will be held in the UK, the Commonwealth and 280 diplomatic missions around the world, celebrating key UK values of sustainability, community, youth and diversity.
More than 6,000 men and women of the UK’s Armed Forces – and nearly 400 Armed Forces personnel from at least 35 Commonwealth countries [including Uganda] – will take part in the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
