Pomp

The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, took place on 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II.

fresh eye

Coronation

Coronations are centred around a solemn religious ceremony that has remained largely unchanged for over 1,000 years.

The Coronation of King Charles III took place at Westminster Abbey in London 6/5/23

Coach ride

The royal couple left Westminster Abbey following their crowning ceremony in the Gold State Coach, a historic carriage that was constructed in 1762 and first used by King George III to travel to the State Opening of Parliament that year. The coach, which weighs four tons and was drawn by eight horses on the coronation day, has been used at every coronation since King William IV's crowning ceremony in 1831.

Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Privy Council, was the surprise star of King Charles III's coronation with her fierce outfit and stoney-faced sword-bearing.

What is the regalia?

The UK is the only European country that still uses regalia - the symbols of royalty like the crown, orb and sceptres - in coronations.

Celebrity Guests in Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla include charity representatives, foreign royals and political leaders. But perhaps surprisingly for such a traditional and historical event, a roster of celebrity guests from the world of pop culture were also in attendance.

The ceremony held at Westminster Abbey, with the King becoming the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned there since 1066. Queen Camilla was crowned alongside him before a huge parade back to Buckingham Palace.

Numbers

Members of the Armed Forces, frontline emergency service workers and people actively contributing to The King’s Coronation will be among the 400,000 people.

Over the Coronation bank holiday weekend, the nation spent an extra £3.22 billion on retail, hospitality, and travel and tourism, in addition to the £4.80bn usually spent over a May bank holiday weekendthat’s £8.01bn in total.

Antique

The Coronation Chair, also known as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair, is believed to be the oldest piece of furniture in the UK still used for its original purpose. Charles was the 27th monarch to be crowned in it.

Prince Harry was pictured appearing to be beaming with joy and laughing with Princess Royal. The moment captured the attention of people watching the Coronation with many trying to read his body language.

Perception

With ongoing debates in the media about the royal Family and its place in modern Britain, attitudes towards the coronation are mixed. Whilst many people are still in full support of the royals due to its historic importance and the tourism it generates for the UK, some question the cost and whether there’s a need for a monarchy anymore.

Despite these debates, the majority of the UK do believe that the royal family is important (64%).

A Coronation message from His Majesty The King. We now rededicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and Commonwealth.

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William were unsurprisingly voted the most popular members of the royal family. Surprisingly Prince Harry is ranked the third most popular member of the royal family, placied above his father.