 The King and Queen waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation service | |
| Date | 6 May 2023 |
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| Location | Westminster Abbey |
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The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, took place on Saturday, 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. It was the first coronation held since Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 nearly 70 years prior.
The ceremony was structured around an Anglican service of Holy Communion. It included Charles taking an oath, being anointed with holy oil, and receiving the coronation regalia, emphasising his spiritual role and secular responsibilities.[a] Representatives of the Church of England and the British royal family declared their allegiance to him, and people throughout the Commonwealth realms were invited to do so. Camilla was crowned in a shorter and simpler ceremony. After the service, members of the royal family travelled to Buckingham Palace in a state procession and appeared on the palace's rear and front balconies. The service was altered from past British coronations to represent the multiple faiths, cultures, and communities of the United Kingdom. It was shorter than Elizabeth II's coronation, and had a peak UK television audience of 20.4 million, making it the most watched television broadcast of 2023.
The coronation elicited both celebrations and protest in the United Kingdom, with surveys carried out before the event suggesting that the British public was ambivalent towards the ceremony and its funding by taxpayers. The events in London and Windsor drew large crowds, but were also protested against by republican groups; 64 individuals were arrested on the day, which was criticised by the international advocacy group Human Rights Watch. The celebrations included street parties, volunteering, special commemorative church services, and a concert at Windsor Castle on 7 May. The response in the other Commonwealth realms was similarly mixed; while there were many celebrations, some government officials and indigenous groups took the opportunity to voice republican sentiments and call for reparatory justice. It was the first British coronation in the 21st century and the 40th to be held at Westminster Abbey since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066.[b]
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- ^ Gosling, Lucinda (2013). Royal Coronations. Oxford: Shire. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-74781-220-3.