King Charles III is to be crowned at Westminster Abbey in a coronation ceremony due to be watched by millions of people in the U.K. and around the world.
Newsweek will be providing live news updates throughout the day as Chief Royal Correspondent Jack Royston and Royal Reporter James Crawford-Smith as they report live from London.
- King Charles will be crowned along with Camilla, Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey just before 11:00 a.m. local time (6:00 a.m. ET).
- Before the ceremony, the King will travel in a procession from Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach. Thousands of people are expected to line the route.
- Charles became head of state following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II last year. This coronation ceremony is the first held in the U.K. in 70 years.
- President Joe Biden will not be attending the ceremony but First Lady Jill Biden will be there, along with her 22-year-old granddaughter, Finnegan.
- Prince Harry will attend his father's coronation, but his wife Meghan Markle will not. The Duke of Sussex's attendance has been the source of constant speculation after a public family fallout.
People around the U.K. and abroad have been invited to swear aloud their allegiance to the new king in what is to be known as the Homage of the People.
The words, drafted by Lambeth Palace (the London headquarters of the Archbishop of Canterbury), invite members of the public to say the words: "I swear that I will pay true allegiance to your majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God"
This suggestion has sparked controversy, as detailed by Jack Royston, Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, in the most recent episode of Newsweek's 'The Royal Report'.
President Joe Biden is not attending the coronation today, but First Lady Jill Biden is in London for the ceremony.
It was announced on April 4 from the White House that President Biden had a telephone conversation with the king, congratulating him on his coronation and "informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States."
Biden represented the U.S. at a reception held by Kate Middleton at the palace last night. Also in attendance was Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Charles has historically been less popular than his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. But exclusive polling from Newsweek conducted with Redfield and Wilton earlier this year presents some surprising figures.
While Charles' net favorability is negative with those aged 55 and over, he is increasingly more popular with the younger generation, particularly those aged 18-24. Camilla is also viewed negatively by the older generation but positively by the younger ones.
William and Kate are the only royal figures who hold a positive favorability rating across all age groups. But it's a different story for Harry and Meghan, who hold an almost completely negative favorability.
The popularity of all the royals has been negatively impacted recently as well by the publication of Prince Harry's incendiary book, Spare, which outlines various allegations by the Duke of Sussex against members of the royal family.
Like his mother Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, Charles' ceremony will be fully televised. The difference for 2023 is that it will be in full color and high definition. Live streams from the coverage will also be shown on big screens across London's royal parks.
CBS, CNN, ABC, and Fox will all be providing live coverage of the ceremony. If you want to see how the British are viewing it, you can watch the BBC's live stream of the coronation here:
One of the biggest questions in the build-up to the ceremony was whether Prince Harry, the son of the king, would attend his coronation.
It comes after a public fallout in which Prince Harry launched a series of stinging criticisms of his family in his book Spare, which said the king did not hug him after Princess Diana died and left him alone in his bedroom for several hours after breaking the tragic news.
He also suggested Queen Camilla sacrificed him on "her personal PR altar" and that William attacked him physically during an argument about his wife, Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry will be attending the coronation today, but Meghan Markle has remained in California with their children.
A statement on behalf of the king in April read: "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
Here is the schedule for today's ceremony.
10:20 a.m. local (5:20 a.m. ET) - The procession begins from Buckingham Palace towards Westminster Abbey as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, travel in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
11:00 a.m. local (6:00 a.m. ET) - King Charles III will arrive at Westminster Abbey, where every British king has been crowned since William the Conqueror in 1066. The ceremony will then begin, comprising five stages:
Stage one: The recognition
King Charles will stand beside the coronation chair and will turn to face all four sides of the abbey, where he will be proclaimed "undoubted king."
Stage two: The oath
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the principal leader of the Church of England, will administer the Coronation Oath where he will ask the King to uphold the law during his reign.
Stage three: The anointing
King Charles will sit in the coronation chair where the archbishop will anoint the king with special oil on to his head, breast, and hands.
Stage four: The investiture
The moment when Charles III is crowned as St. Edward's Crown, dating back from 1661, is placed upon his head for the first and only time in his life.
Stage five: The enthronement
The final stage will see King Charles III take the throne. Prince William, Charles' son, and heir, will then kneel before the king.
1:00 p.m. local (8:00 a.m. ET) The King and Queen Consort will then proceed to travel back from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace along the same route, but this time in the 260-year-old Gold State Coach.
2:30 p.m. local (9:30 a.m. ET) King Charles III will appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet the crowds, alongside other members of the royal family. Which members of the royal family will be present alongside the monarch is the subject of frenzied speculation.
Both supporters and opponents of the monarchy have arrived in London for the ceremony. Rebecca Flood, Audience Editor (Trends) at Newsweek in on the Mall speaking with people.
Dawn, from Canada, told Newsweek: "I support the monarchy. Proud to be from the Commonwealth. That's why we're here."
Good morning. Today is a historic day in the United Kingdom as millions of people await the coronation of King Charles III.
Huge crowds have gathered in London ahead of the ceremony, while millions more will be watching the event on TV around the world. The procession is due to start at 10:20 a.m. local time (5:20 a.m. ET).
Comments
Post a Comment