LONDON: The UK’s King Charles III was crowned on Saturday at Westminster Abbey in London at the country’s first coronation for 70 years in a ceremony that blended the ancient and the modern.
Charles became the 40th monarch since William the Conquerer in 1066 to be crowned at the ancient church, and at 74 becomes the oldest.
Although he became Britain’s king and monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms immediately after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September, Saturday’s crowning, replete with tradition and pomp and ceremony, rubber-stamped his ascension to the throne.
It was a scaled-down affair and markedly shorter than the 1953 extravaganza of his mother; a conscious choice by Charles, who now rules over a Britain with a struggling economy and which is in the grips of a cost-of-living crisis.
Charles also worked to make the event as inclusive and reflective of 21st century Britain as possible, and in a break from tradition, representatives of the Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Sikh faiths were involved for the first time.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby placed the solid-gold St Edward’s Crown on Charles’ head as a “sacred and ancient symbol of the monarch’s authority.” He also crowned Charles’ wife, Camilla, 75, which confirmed her transformation from mistress to monarch.
In attendance at Westminster among the estimated 2,000 guests were several leaders and official representatives of Gulf countries, including King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, Saudi Minister Prince Turki bin Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
US President Joe Biden, who maintained the streak of American presidents never attending a coronation, was represented at the abbey by First Lady Jill Biden.
He tweeted his congratulations and paid tribute to the “enduring friendship” between the US and Britain shortly after the ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, were also in attendance.
Following the more staid and sober rituals at the abbey, the newly crowned king and queen returned to Buckingham Palace in the day’s second horse-drawn parade, and appeared alongside other members of the royal family on the famous old balcony.
Charles and Camilla were met with cheers and applause from the thousands of well-wishers packed along The Mall, who had braved the stereotypically wet London weather to witness the customary appearance and a ceremonial flypast.
Britons and foreign visitors alike were left enthralled at the historical significance of the event, with many telling Arab News they were “proud” and “lucky” to have been part of a moment steeped in almost 1,000 years of history.
