King Charles III at the coronation ceremony, (Image Source: Twitter)
In April this year, Organiser reported a case from the UK showing how Hinduphobia is rooted in its culture. In the past, there have been repeated instances of Britishers mocking Indian religious practices, especially for the part of idol worshipping. But how many of you know that the coronation ceremony observed by Britain consists of numerous superstitious practices?
King Charles III will be coronated as the King of Britain on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London.
The ceremony will also see the crowning of Queen Consort Camilla alongside Charles. Charles automatically ascended to the throne when Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, and was officially proclaimed
Britain’s monarch two days later in an ascension ceremony.
Before getting into the details of what the common Britain people think about the coronation ceremony, let us first take you to the superstitious customs followed by the princely family and Britain for ages.
Presenting the Monarch
The First part is the presentation of the monarch to “the people”. At the time of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation The Archbishop of Canterbury, accompanied by the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Lord High Constable (of England), the Earl Marshal and preceded by the Garter King of Arms, presented the Queen to those in attendance.
Later, they presented her to all sides the north, east, west and south sides of the theatre to let people see. After this, the Queen then returned to her Chair of Estate and the Archbishop went to the altar.
It is thought King Charles’ recognition will follow the same format.
The Oath
The people in the Abbey are asked if they recognise the new monarch and respond with ‘God Save The King’ or ‘God Save The Queen’. The monarch then signs an oath where they promise to rule according to the law and with mercy. The monarch is traditionally wearing the crimson Robe of State.
Following that, the new monarch will then be anointed with holy oil, receive the orb, coronation ring and sceptre, and be crowned with St Edward’s Crown.
Then the monarch sits in the Coronation Chair, made for King Edward I in 1300. The chair historically housed the Stone of Scone, also known as “the Stone of Destiny”. This Stone is an ancient object associated with the kings of Scotland. Since 1996 it has been kept at Edinburgh Castle unless required at a coronation.
The stone is traditionally been crowned Lia Fail, “the speaking stone”, or the stone which would proclaim the chosen king. It was originally used as part of the crowning ceremonies of the Scots kings of Dalriada, in the west of Scotland, an area just north of Glasgow now called Argyll.
The anointing
Following coronation traditions, King Charles III will be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. This is thought to be the most sacred part of any coronation and takes place before the investiture and crowning. The Archbishop will pour holy oil from the Ampulla (or vessel) into the spoon and will anoint the King’s hands, heads and breasts.
The choir traditionally sings Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’ during this most sacred moment of the coronation.
According to a UK website, the Sovereign will be “anointed, blessed and consecrated” by the Archbishop, whilst seated in King Edward’s chair (made in 1300, and used by every Sovereign since 1626). After receiving the orb and sceptres, the Archbishop will place St Edward’s Crown on the King’s head.
Investiture
The anointing is followed by the dressing of the monarch in the spectacular robe of cloth of gold called the Supertunica and the longer Imperial Mantle. The monarch is then presented with other items from the Coronation Regalia.
These include the gold spurs, the jewelled Sword of Offering and the Armills. The Armills are gold bracelets representing sincerity and wisdom. The monarch also receives the Sovereign’s Orb, a gold globe topped by a cross, as well as a ring and two sceptres.
The ceremony culminates with the placing of the magnificent St Edward’s Crown on the monarch’s head. The monarch then changes into the robe of purple velvet and wears the lighter Imperial State Crown for the rest of the service.
Homage
This is the final part of the coronation. The new monarch moves to the throne chair and senior officials of the United Kingdom pay homage to the newly crowned monarch. They place their hands on the monarch’s knees, swear allegiance, touch the crown and kiss the monarch’s right hand.
In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip was the first to pay homage to his wife, pledging his service to her.
The Procession
The coronation day starts with a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach. This coach has been used at every coronation since William IV’s in 1831.
After the service, there is traditionally a procession through the streets of London. This allows as many people as possible to see the newly crowned monarch.
King Charles lll is the oldest monarch to ever take the British throne.
Other than Britain countries like Saudi Arabia, Japan, Qatar, The Netherlands, Bhutan, Spain, Thailand, and Bahrain have a monarchy.
Soon after King Charles lll acceded to the British throne after his mother Elizabeth II’s demise, the hashtag ‘NotMyKing’ trended on social media. Some instances of people carrying anti-monarchist signs, shouting slogans and heckling royals were also registered. But the anti-monarchy protests in Britain are not new.
Even on May 6, the coronation day, Police arrested the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic hours before King Charles’ coronation.
The anti-monarchy sentiment in the UK is fueled by the ‘Republic campaign’ which is the largest lobbying group for UK Republicans. The group believes that the monarchy is an outdated system.
The other reasons cited by the exports are inflation and poverty in Britain. At a time when Britain is reeling under poverty and inflation, the government will spend people’s hard-earned money on the coronation ceremony. The whole expense of the royal family is bored by the government of Britain only.
Opinion polls conducted by the National Center for Social Research recently states that opposition and apathy to the monarchy are both growing. just 29% of respondents thought the monarchy was “very important”.
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