King Charles’ coronation set for 2023

Just over a month after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a date has been set for the coronation of King Charles III. The coronation will be on Saturday 6th of May, 2023.

Alongside the King, Camilla the Queen Consort, will be crowned in the historic ceremony, which will be a mix of ancient, historic ceremony and modern traditions.

The ceremony will be a huge event for the UK, with a public holiday yet to be announced. Discussions are in place to have a long weekend, and to possibly incorporate the annual Mayday holiday into the plans.
Charles succeeded the throne upon his mother’s death on the 12th of September 2022, however there was no official date for the ceremony until yesterday. Next year’s coronation will be the first for almost 70 years – the last being for Elizabeth II in June 1953 – and the first held on a Saturday since Edward VII in 1902. Charles, at 74, will be the oldest new monarch crowned.

The ceremony will take place in Westminster Abbey, with Buckingham palace officials stating that the ceremony will be “rooted in longstanding traditions”, but will also “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future.”

At Elizabeth II’s coronation in June 1953, the ceremony was 3 hours long, with a vast number of guests including church officials and heads of state. However, it is suggested that the ceremony next year will be much shorter, with a fewer number of guests. As is tradition, the Archbishop of Canterbury will be presiding over the ceremony.

Monarchs traditionally sit on the 14th century King Edward’s Chair, and are crowned with the solid-gold 17th century St Edward’s Crown.
There will be close attention payed to how Charles may adapt the service, such as wording of the oath to fit a multi-faith element to the service. Many of the rituals of such ceremonies are long-standing tradition dating back hundreds of years, and although it is understood that the the “core elements” of these traditions will remain intact, Charles may choose to change some to fit “the spirit of our times.”

An orb, sceptre, and ring are presented to them as symbols of their regal status, and if past coronations are any indication, there will be a procession around the city with the horse-drawn Gold State Coach. The newly crowned monarch typically appears on Buckingham Palace’s balcony later that day.

King Charles’ coronation will “meet the times”.

According to royal historian Robert Lacey, “Coronations, like other ceremonies, are modified to meet the times.”
In comparison to 1953, he anticipates that the coronation will be shorter, smaller in scope, and more diversely religiously represented the following year.
According to him, there would also need to be consideration for the strains brought on by rising costs of living.

“King Charles has a very difficult balancing act. What to keep, what to abolish, what to alter in a modern way,” says Mr Lacey.

With more than 20 million people in the UK watching the ceremony on television for the first time in 1953, Elizabeth II’s coronation marked a turning point for television viewership for major events.
A possible global television audience of hundreds of millions might be anticipated for King Charles III’s coronation.

Alongside the announcement of Charles’ coronation, it has been announced that he will appear on British BBC TV show ‘The Repair Shop‘ for a special centenary episode, discussing two precious items chosen by the monarch – a piece of pottery made for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, and an 18th century clock. The special was announced during The One Show on Tuesday, with the episode airing on October 26 at 8pm on BBC One.