By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
King Charles III has been crowned at his Coronation, the first in the United Kingdom (UK) for 70 years.
Shortly afterwards, his wife Camilla was crowned Queen.
The theme was reflected in the oaths and prayers King Charles made, and the sermon delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
“I come not to be served, but to serve,” the King said in his first prayer after reaching the abbey.
“We are here to crown a King, and we crown a King to serve,” the Archbishop began his sermon with.
After the crown was placed on Charles’ head, cries of “God Save the King” were heard inside and outside Westminster Abbey.
Gun salutes were made across the UK, the abbey bells rang for two minutes, and corks were popped on the Mall in London where thousands had gathered.
After the ceremony, the crowds who lined the procession route watched the newly-crowned couple make their way to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.
The newly-crowned King and Queen return to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach with other members of the Royal Family, following the #Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey. pic.twitter.com/llqslnARYL
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 6, 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska were also in the abbey, as were Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and leaders of the Commonwealth countries.
Huge cheers are heard from the crowd as iconic Red Arrows fly past
Big cheers can be heard from crowds as the iconic Red Arrows fly past to celebrate King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s coronation this afternoon.
Half an hour before it was set to happen, the Ministry of Defence said it had been scaled back so only the Red Arrows and helicopters took part in the palace flyover.
People braved the rain and stood together with umbrellas and rain coats to watch the flypast.
Photo Credit: RoyalHouse.
Scaled-down military flypast over Buckingham Palace
The King and Queen appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch a scaled-down military flypast.
The RAF’s Red Arrows display team trailed red, white and blue smoke as their Hawk jets flew over the crowds gathered on The Mall and outside the palace.
More than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force had been due to take part in the flypast, but ‘unsuitable weather conditions’ meant that plan had to be abandoned.
Instead, helicopters from the three services and the Red Arrows took part in the display which lasted for around two-and-a-half minutes.
The King and Queen smiled and waved to the crowds as the aircraft flew overhead.
Photo Credit:Reuters.
Timeline of the ceremony
- 5:00 am: Public viewing areas open along the procession route
- 6:15-7:30 am: Guests arrive at Westminster Abbey
- 8:30-9:45 am: Dignitaries, officials, foreign royals, and British royal family members arrive
- 9:20 am: Charles and Camilla begin their journey to the abbey
- 10:00 am: Service begins at Westminster Abbey
- 11:00 pm: Charles is crowned
- 12:00 pm: Service ends, and the procession returns to Buckingham Palace
- 1:15 pm: Royal family appears on the palace balcony for a flypast
Watch Live the proceedings in the video below:
Video Courtesy of Royal Family.