King Charles III Is Officially Crowned
The day is marked by royal processions to and from Westminster Abbey, where Queen Elizabeth II was crowned almost 70 years to the day.
A day of meticulously organized pomp, tradition, ritual and royal pageantry that, for Charles, has been coming since birth, has begun with a procession.
The King’s Procession escorted the King and Queen Consort Camilla from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation Service.
It was here where Queen Elizabeth was crowned almost 70 years ago to the day, on June 2, 1953. Charles, now 74, was 4 years old at the time.
Alongside numerous heads of state and British political leaders old and new, guests also included Judi Dench, Emma Thompson and Maggie Smith.
Back at Palace, the King, Queen Consort and royal family members will conclude the day with one of their long-standing traditions, an appearance on the balcony.
The coronation, which marks three full days of activity (Monday has been made an official public holiday), has divided opinion across the U.K. Waning enthusiasm for the new King, whose popularity is markedly lower than that of his mother, has seen only 7 percent of British adults describe themselves as “committed royalists” according to recent research, and 58 percent not interested in the royal family. Meanwhile a mere 9 percent say that care “a great deal” about the weekend’s events.
But much of the debate has centred on the cost of the lavish event — £250 million ($286 million), being paid for by the British taxpayer at the time when the cost of living crisis has pushed many into poverty. Charles is already King — a title he inherited the second Queen Elizabeth passed away last year — and the fact this archaic event hasn’t been scaled down to reflect the current times, or even financed by the royal family itself, has left a sour taste in the mouths of some. For others, however, maintaining the spectacle of this grand royal occasion is a source of great national pride, and thousands lined the streets for the procession.
“Our tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low,” the police said earlier in the week. “We will deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining this celebration.”
