King Charles III‘s coronation on 6 May is likely to showcase the sort of lavish royal pageantry the British are famous for. But it is also a deeply religious occasion steeped in centuries-old traditions that, to some, might seem out of place in 2023. Does such an event hold the significance it once did and does the monarch need one at all? In just a few weeks’ time, millions of people across the UK will witness a rare event.
While we might be used to the pomp, crowds and street parties that accompany royal celebrations and jubilees, it’s been 70 years since we’ve seen a coronation. This is an entirely different affair, littered with curiosities: a medieval oath, holy oil poured on to a 12th Century spoon, and a 700-year-old chair housing a stone that supposedly roared when it recognised the rightful monarch.
Some experts liken a coronation to a wedding – but instead of a spouse, the monarch is being married to the state. The 2,000 people who will watch King Charles crowned at Westminster Abbey will be asked whether they recognise him as monarch. He will then be given a coronation ring and asked to swear an oath.
If all of this sounds like something from a bygone age, it’s because coronation ceremonies in the UK have changed little over the past 1,000 years. By law, there’s no need for them, as the monarch succeeds automatically on the death of their predecessor. But they’re a symbolic gesture that formalises the monarch’s commitment to the role, says Dr George Gross, who is leading a research project on coronations at Kings College London.
He believes the promises a monarch makes to “uphold law and justice with mercy” in a public statement is a unique and special moment.
“In an uncertain world where leaders break international rules of law all the time, our monarch has to say ‘these are the fundamental things that matter’, and that doesn’t jar to me.”
What happens next perhaps sums up what the coronation is: a fundamentally religious occasion. An outline of the cross is traced on the monarch’s head, hands and chest using a consecrated oil, dispensed on to the medieval spoon.
The anointing process elevates “the monarch almost to a priest”, says Dr Gross, and signals the monarch’s role as head of the church.
“It’s an Anglican ceremony and the anointing is essential to that as the conferment of God’s grace on the monarch,” says Dr David Torrance, who has written a parliamentary research paper on coronations.
“But it’s also the Church of England reminding everyone they’re one of the established churches of the UK and the monarch is its supreme governor.”
This moment is done in private because it is seen as an intimate moment, and for practicality reasons since the monarch wears fewer clothes at this point, says Dr Elena Woodacre, director of the Royal Studies Network. Cameras are likely to pan away as they did when Queen Elizabeth was disrobed of her cloak and jewellery during her televised coronation in 1953.
Source: BBC
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