Three days of festivities are scheduled from May 6. After the ceremony at the Westminster Abbey, will take place a concert of international stars, a national “big lunch” and initiatives to promote volunteer work.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
The veil is gradually rising on the coronation of King Charles III scheduled for May 6 in the United Kingdom. The Buckingham Palace said on Saturday January 21, wanting to “this historic event” a moment of celebration, which gives people an opportunity to come together “.
The coronation of Charles, aged 74, will take place eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8 at the age of 96. It is traditionally held in the months following accession to the throne. This period allows both to observe national mourning and royal mourning, and to organize the coronation ceremony.
That of Charles III will take place on the morning of May 6, at the Westminster Abbey as the previous British monarch wreaths for 900 years. She will be, as tradition wants, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church.
Camilla will also be crowned
“The coronation is a solemn religious service, as well as an occasion for celebration and ceremonial”, specifies Buckingham. The ceremony “will be turned to the future, while being anchored in traditions and a long -standing ceremonial”. Charles’ wife, Camilla, will also be crowned.
Charles III and Camilla will arrive in Westminster from the Buckingham Palace in what is called the “King’s Procession”. After the ceremony, they will return to Buckingham as part of the “coronation procession”, for which they will be joined by other members of the royal family. To conclude this first day, the King and the Queen Consort, accompanied by members of the royal family, will appear at the Buckingham balcony, to greet the crowd.
The next day will take place a concert at the castle of Windsor, west of London, with “icons of international music and contemporary stars”. He will be broadcast on the BBC. Buckingham, however, did not mention the names of the artists who will perform on stage. In the public will be found in particular volunteers of charities supported by Charles and Camilla.
A “coronation choir” will also present a concert, with singers of refugee chorals, public health service, LGBTQ + singing groups and deaf. In the evening, emblematic places of the United Kingdom will be illuminated.
The population will also be invited on May 7 to participate in the “big lunch of the coronation”, neighborhood festivals to “celebrate friendship”. “Thousands of events” should take place in the streets, gardens, parks, according to Buckingham.
Harry and Meghan will they be present?
These popular celebrations recall those that took place in June 2022 for the Elizabeth platinum jubilee, for its 70th anniversary. Throughout the United Kingdom, tens of thousands of lunches and picnics between neighbors had been organized to celebrate this extremely popular monarch.
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Monday, May 8, which will be a public holiday, people will be encouraged to volunteer. This approach aims to “bring people together and create a volunteer movement that will last after the coronation weekend,” said the palace.
But will the royal family be gathered for this exceptional event? Buckingham did not specify in his press release if Harry and his wife Meghan, exiled in California, will be present. The Palace has never officially reacted to the Prince’s explosive book, the deputy, published on January 10, in which he carries severe accusations against several members of the royal family, in particular his brother William and Queen Consort Camilla .
The last coronation, that of Elizabeth II, dates back to June 2, 1953. For the first time, the ceremony, grand, had been broadcast on television and watched by 27 million British, for 36 million inhabitants to the time. She had lasted more than three hours, in front of 8,251 guests massed in the abbey. 129 nations and territories were officially represented.