London.- King Charles III of the United Kingdom will be crowned on Saturday May 6, 2023 in a solemn ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London with the Queen consort, Camila, Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday.
The 73-year-old British monarch, automatically ascended to the throne 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.
The religious rite, performed 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”, the palace described. .
The coronation is a rite that has remained virtually unchanged since the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and has been celebrated for nearly 900 years at Westminster Abbey.
May’s service should include key traditional elements that have been repeated unchanged for centuries, as well as new components, in keeping with “the spirit of our times”, Buckingham suggested.
Among commentators on the monarchy in the UK, Charles III is expected to opt for a somewhat more modest ceremony than his mother’s lavish coronation on June 2, 1953, and that it reflects his desire to apply some austerity to Britain. royalty. .
The new monarch will swear before the archbishop his intention to reign over his country and the 14 others of which he is the head of state, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, “according to their respective laws and customs”. , as well as the application of “law and justice” in their decisions.
camilla queen consort
Camila will be crowned along with Carlos III as queen consort with a “similar, if simpler” liturgy, as described by Buckingham Palace.
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.
The British King’s official spokespersons will ‘in due course’ offer more details on the organization of next year’s ceremony, which in 1953 brought together Heads of State and Government from the Commonwealth and many countries in London .
Web edited: Javier Agramunt