Nearly 70 years after his mother’s coronation, King Charles will be officially crowned this weekend. What could the future look like for the monarchy?
“The moment of the Queen’s crowning is come… God save the Queen! God save the Queen! God save the Queen!”
BBC TV Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II: Westminster Abbey 1953
In June 1953, Elizabeth II was crowned Queen.
Watched by millions of people around the world, it was the first coronation to be televised.
Among those watching in Westminster Abbey itself was a 4-year-old Prince Charles.
“The Duke of Cornwall, sees his mother crowned…”
BBC TV Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II: Westminster Abbey 1953
This weekend, nearly 70 years after watching his own mother’s coronation, King Charles will officially be crowned.
The coronation is the formal investiture of a monarch with their regal powers. This one is costing the taxpayer more than a hundred million pounds.
And alongside the religious element where King Charles will swear an oath to God and promise to govern the people he serves, there will be lots of pomp and pageantry.
“From the night rehearsals involving hundreds of British military personnel on horseback to polishing the grand coaches the King and Queen will travel in, and blessing the specially made anointing screen that will be used during the sacred ceremony.”
Good Morning America
Buckingham Palace has said that while much of the coronation will be “rooted in long-standing traditions”, it will also reflect the monarch’s role today and “look towards the future”.
So, what could that future look like for the monarchy?
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When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, she became Supreme Governor of the Church of England and “Defender of the faith”.
But in 1994, King Charles suggested he sees it a little differently.
“I personally you see would much rather see it as defender of faith, not the faith, because it means just one particular interpretation of the faith which I think you sometimes, something that causes a great deal of problem, has done for hundreds of years…”
King Charles, 1994 documentary about the Prince of Wales by Jonathan Dimbleby
Although the coronation is an act of Christian worship, religious leaders representing the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh traditions will play an active role in the ceremonies for the first time.
Female Anglican bishops will also take part for the first time too. And they won’t be alone…
“The Archbishop of Canterbury who’s head of the Church of England will ask millions of British subjects around the world to swear allegiance to King Charles during his coronation next Saturday…”
BBC News
Members of the public watching online, on television or in parks, have been invited to join a “chorus of millions of voices” and 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.”
Unlike the Queen’s 8,000 strong attendees, there will only be 2,200 invited guests attending Westminster Abbey, including heads of state from around the world, foreign royals, politicians, and members of the public.
And while the Queen’s coronation lasted for three hours, King Charles’ coronation will be shorter, in order to keep the cost down amid the backdrop of a cost of living crisis.
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A poll by YouGov last month suggested that 35 per cent of the British public don’t care very much about the coronation and 29 per cent don’t care at all. Younger age groups were more likely not to care while those over 65 were more supportive.
During the coronation preparations, the police have already had to deal with some disruption.
“A man was arrested this evening after throwing what police believe were shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds…”
ITV News
“The man also had what police describe as a suspicious bag. Specialist officers were called in and a controlled explosion was carried out.”
ITV News
And it’s expected that “Not My King” protests will take place over the coronation weekend too.
Here’s Graham Smith, head of anti-monarchy group Republic, speaking to Reuters…
“I think the monarchy’s in a lot of trouble because they’ve lost their star player, support is clearly going down, interest is going down and that’s a problem for them.”
Graham Smith, head of anti-monarchy group Republic
The debate about whether Charles should remain King goes beyond the UK. He’s currently monarch of 15 countries, including Jamaica and New Zealand. It’s likely some will follow in the steps of Barbados, which removed the Queen as head of state in November 2021.
King Charles is known to support the idea of a slimmed down royal family, meaning there would be fewer working royals. It’s something that’s not gone down well with everyone.
Here’s Princess Anne, King Charles’ sister, speaking to CBC News.
“It is a moment where you need to have that discussion but I would just underline that the monarchy provides, with the Constitution, a degree of long term stability that is actually quite hard to come by in any other way.”
Princess Anne, CBC News
After the pomp of the ceremony dies down, the hard work for King Charles to shape and define his reign begins.
This episode was written and mixed by Imy Harper.
