Aside from being just another May Bank Holiday, a Royal Coronation will take place this year. This is a religious ceremony with pageantry and celebration that takes place in Westminster Abbey. The service is conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose office has undertaken this task since the Norman Conquest in 1066. It’s an over 900-year-old tradition that has stayed virtually the same for centuries.
The coronation happens several months after the monarch has ascended to the throne, following a period of mourning for the last monarch and the preparation and organisation for the ceremony takes months.
The coronation of King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, as the king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms will take place on Saturday, the 6th of May 2023 in Westminster Abbey, almost eight months after the king ascended the throne on the 8th of September 2022 following the death of his mother. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming coronation.
When was the last Royal coronation?
Our late Queen, Queen Elizabeth II had her coronation on Tuesday, the 2nd of June 1953. It was the first Royal British coronation to be fully televised. The Queen’s coronation was the fourth and last coronation of the 20th century and it was estimated to cost over £1.57 million with over 8,000 guests in attendance, including representatives of the Houses of Parliament, Church, and State. Prime ministers and leading citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of other countries also attended.
For many of those in the UK under eighty years old, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II’s son, King Charles III, will be the first coronation we have been alive to see.
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II’s father, George VI and Elizabeth happened on Wednesday, the 12th of May 1937, when Princess Elizabeth was just eleven years old.
Leaving the Elizabethan era and welcoming the Carolean era
In May, we will officially usher in the new Carolean era. The name “Carolean” derives from the Latin word for “Charles,” which is “Carolus.” Just as we called Queen Elizabeth’s age the “Elizabethan age,” now we are in the new “Carolean age.”
For those who wish to get a glimpse of the new king and queen, you can watch the King’s Procession or see the new king on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where he will appear with the rest of the royal family. The evening ceremony will continue with a Coronation Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.
What happens at a Royal coronation?
The ceremony comprises of the Recognition, the Anointing, the Coronation Oath and the Homage. King Charles and Queen Camilla will be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury with oil consecrated by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III in Jerusalem, made of oil perfumed with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin, amber and orange blossom.
To avoid any controversy, Queen Camilla will wear Queen Mary’s diamond-encrusted crown instead of the Queen Mother’s platinum crown which contains the controversial 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond (which can be seen in the Tower of London).
Over 2,000 notables will attend the ceremony and it will be broadcast on television on BBC One like the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
What else happens on the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend?
King Charles III during his time as the Prince of Wales was known for his environmental and charitable work. On Sunday, the 7th of May, there will be a Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, broadcast live on the BBC. The choir includes the Coronation Choir made up of singers from community choirs from all over the UK, including refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and Deaf Signing Choir as well as a virtual choir from across the Commonwealth accompanied by a seventy-four piece orchestra. There’ll be a dance show, a laser and drone show, and spoken-word performers. Pop icons such as Sir Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, Ed Sheeran, Adele, Harry Styles, Elton John, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, the Spice Girls, and Queen have been rumoured to perform.
Brits are encouraged to spend their Sunday celebrating with a Coronation Big Lunch which is an initiative from the Eden Project.
When is our additional Bank Holiday this year?
This year, we get an extra May Bank holiday on Monday, the 8th of May 2023 in honour of the coronation, which means May will see a trio of Bank Holidays, including Monday, the 1st of May; Monday, the 8th of May; and Monday, the 29th of May, so even if the coronation isn’t your thing, three extra short work weeks might be! How do you plan to celebrate?
The takeaways
Let us know on Tria Beauty UK’s Facebook or Instagram if you’re taking part in or watching any coronation celebrations. Don’t forget to start using your Tria 4X laser every week for half an hour for twelve weeks to be hair-free in time for summer!