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This time 70 years ago the world was abuzz with excitement. A beautiful young woman was preparing to be crowned queen and, for millions of people wearied by war and weighed down by lingering austerity measures, it was a golden light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
Queen Elizabeth, with her dashing husband by her side, had movie star status and the lead up to her coronation captured the imagination of the globe.
But the world is a very different place now. And if one person knows that, it’s King Charles III.
For starters, he’s 74, his mother was 26. Back then the royal family – although it’s always had its critics – was on a pedestal, almost untouchable.
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These days it’s conflicted and complex, riven by scandals and drama and at the mercy of the internet generation who regularly question and criticise. The UK is also in the midst of one of the biggest cost of living crises in history and the monarch is well aware of an over-the-top occasion wouldn’t be good for optics.
Which is why he’s been at pains to ensure his coronation on Saturday 6 May will be a scaled-down event with fewer guests, less extravagance and a far shorter ceremony.
But make no mistake: this doesn’t mean it’s not going to be grand. There will be carriages, there will be jewels, there will be anthems, there will be trumpets ringing out onto the streets.
It will just be more inclusive, relevant and less archaic. “It’s still going to be everything you’d expect of a coronation,” royal expert Katie Nichol says.
OPERATION GOLDEN ORB
This is the codename given to the planning of the coronation and a special committee has been meeting in secret for the past 10 years to discuss logistics.
Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, heads the committee, which is made up of leading members of the aristocracy and other dignitaries.
The 66-year-old aristocrat, who’s England’s most senior duke, oversaw London Bridge, the codename for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Top priority is security and an elite group of armed personnel will be on the ground in central London on coronation day to man the barriers, keep the crowds in check and evict or arrest anti-royal protesters if necessary.
Former royal protection officer Simon Morgan says the coronation will be “another large policing event”, but the overall mood is expected to be friendly. “People will want to come and see His Majesty so I think we will see the numbers.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The Duke of Norfolk was banned from driving for six months after being busted for talking on his mobile phone behind the wheel of his BMW last April. He tried to argue the banning, saying it would make his work difficult but the magistrate wasn’t having it.
A SYMBOLIC OCCASION
The coronation will be a far more streamlined affair – but it’s still going to cost an estimated £150 million (R3,2 bn) and critics have questioned whether it’s necessary to have a ceremony which is, after all, simply a formality seeing as Charles became king the minute his mother passed.
However, polls have shown the majority of the British people want an official event to celebrate their new monarch and honour the country’s rich and unique past.
“It’s a huge milestone in the history of the UK and the Commonwealth,” Michele Donelan, the UK’s former culture secretary, says.
Royal expert Jennie Bond says the coronation will also be a symbol of unity for the royal family, which has been fraught with tension following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s attacks and Prince Andrew’s disgrace.
“Events such as the coronation do a great deal to shore up the popularity of the monarchy,” she says. “There will be millions of people watching the pageantry, so a big cheer goes up for the monarchy on these occasions.”
DIFFERENT TIMES, DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS
Westminster Abbey has been the venue for the coronation of UK monarchs since 1066 and Charles will be crowned here too.
But far fewer people will descend on the ancient church in the heart of London as they did for the queen’s coronation in 1953. More than 8 000 guests squeezed into the abbey to watch Elizabeth’s crowning – 6 000 more than the church can accommodate.
The abbey was closed for five months before the coronation so preparations could be made for extra guests. A small railway track was built through the church to transport the scaffolding needed to build grandstands to seat everyone – and, laid end to end, the tracks would have reached from London to Paris.
Charles will have 2 000 people at his coronation, the maximum amount the church can seat.
His mother’s service ran for three hours; Charles’ will be just over an hour. Plush velvet cushions were laid out for guests to sit on at the queen’s coronation but, regular seating will be the order of the day on 6 May.
SACRED SIGHT
The queen’s coronation was the first to be televised, but there was one aspect of it that wasn’t made public – the anointing or act of consecration, where the archbishop uses holy oil to anoint the hands, breast and head of the sovereign.
This moment is usually concealed from the public because it's regarded as sacred and the queen was hidden by a gold cloth canopy. There’s much speculation Charles will use a transparent canopy to ensure people can see it – both in the abbey and on TV.
Some critics have argued this should stay private as it risks eroding the mystery of the intimate act, which is where the monarch is said to be truly connected to the divine.
TRADITIONS AND CHANGES
Charles and Camilla are expected to travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster in the Gold State Coach, which dates back to 1762 and is reserved for coronations and jubilees.
Among some of the traditions expected to be scrapped is the presentation of gold ingots, or rings, in a bid to be less ostentatious and more sensitive to the public mood.
The ceremony, which will be conducted by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is expected to be representative of different faiths and communities in line with Charles’ wish to reflect the ethnic diversity of modern Britain.
CAMILLA’S MOMENT TO SHINE TOO
The coronation marks the first time in history that the crowning of a queen consort will be televised. And 75-year-old Camilla, like her husband, is highly attuned to public sentiment.
She recently sidestepped controversy by deciding she’d wear the Queen Mary crown instead of the Queen Mother’s crown at the ceremony.
The Queen Mother’s crown features the 105,6 carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, a gem regarded by many as a symbol of the royal family’s imperialist history.
The jewel was mined in India in the middle ages before being seized by the British- owned East India Company in 1849 and presented to Queen Victoria, where it was made part of the Crown Jewels.
It was included in the Queen Mother’s crown, which she wore at her husband King George VI’s coronation in 1937.
The palace was concerned about a diplomatic clash with India should Camilla wear the crown after a spokesperson for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said it “brings back painful memories of the colonial past”.
The Queen Mary crown has been removed from its display at the Tower of London for “minor modifications”, a palace insider says. It will be resized and diamonds from Queen Elizabeth’s jewellery collection, including her Cullinan diamonds, will be added as a tribute.
GUESTS GALORE
The official guest list has yet to be confirmed but senior members of the royal family will be there. William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, will be front and centre of the occasion, royal experts say.
“I think we’ll see the projection of the new fab four which is really going to define Charles’ reign,” royal expert Katie Nichol says.
European royals will be among the invited guests and Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco have confirmed their invitation.
“I’m certain it’s going to be an incredible ceremony and a very moving one,” Albert told People magazine. “I’m certain he will add his own personal touches to the ceremony.”
Many seats are also expected to be filled by health and charity workers.
Although her official title is queen consort, Camilla will be referred to as Queen Camilla after the coronation – which begs the question: why wasn’t the queen’s husband King Philip?
Royal tradition dictates a man marrying into the royal family cannot assume the male version of the title held by his wife.
This is because they would essentially be considered “higher ranked” if they had the title of king.
Philip was given the title of prince consort after the queen’s coronation, but the term “consort” fell away and he was referred to either as Prince Philip or His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, a title bestowed on him before his wedding to the queen.
WHAT ABOUT HARRY AND MEGHAN?
Whether the maverick couple will attend remains to be seen. Charles reportedly wants his younger son at this momentous occasion, but Harry isn’t sure what to do, a friend tells The Telegraph.
“He’s in a predicament about whether to attend and is weighing up a million different variables,” the pal says.
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Harry is considering how the British public will react to him and Meghan attending as well as how their decision to skip it might be perceived as a snub. Their son Archie’s fourth birthday also happens to coincide with the coronation ceremony.
“Harry is mindful that the coronation will be pretty much the most important day in his father’s life,” the friend adds.
But he wants that apology from his father and his brother first, a source tells The Sun. “Harry has been very clear and his position hasn’t wavered.”
NEW CORONATION EMBLEM
As part of his mission to move with the times, Charles turned to a former designer for tech giant Apple to come up with the symbol for his coronation.
Jony Ive (55) is the design wizard behind some of the company’s most iconic products, from the iPad to the Apple watch.
The logo represents the “happy optimism of spring” and the king’s “love of the natural world”, Buckingham Palace said.
READ MORE | King Charles turns to the design guru who created the iPad and Apple Watch for his coronation logo
It celebrates the four nations of the UK by depicting the national flower of each: the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales, and the shamrock of Northern Ireland.
Together the flowers create the shape of St Edward’s Crown. “The design was inspired by King Charles' love of the planet, nature, and his deep concern for the natural world,” Jony said.
THE REGALIA
The coronation chair
Charles will sit in an ancient wooden chair known as the Coronation Chair or Edward’s Chair, which was commissioned in 1296 by King Edward I.
St Edward’s crown
This is considered the most sacred of crowns and is used only at the moment of crowning. It was made in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II and weighs 2kg.
Sovereign’s sceptre with cross
Stretching back to King Charles II coronation in 1661, the sceptre represents the sovereign’s power and is associated with good governance.
Sovereign’s orb
A golden globe surmounted by a cross will be presented to the king and is symbolic of how a monarch’s power is derived from God. The orb is divided into three sections, symbolising the three continents discovered in medieval times.
Imperial state crown
This will be worn by the monarch only when he leaves Westminster Abbey after the coronation. It’s made of solid gold and set with 2 868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and four rubies including the black prince’s ruby and the Stuart sapphire. It’s also used at state openings of parliament.
- 3 - Number of days the coronation festivities will last – 6, 7 and 8 May
- 1 - South African opera singer will perform at the all-star concert after the coronation. Pretty Yende has been invited and is “honoured and blessed”, she says.
- 12 - Number of new musical pieces Charles has commissioned for the coronation. Andrew Lloyd Webber will compose a new anthem.
- 1 - Pair of silk stockings and breeches male monarchs are expected to wear at their coronation. Charles is considering ditching them in favour of his military garb.
- 8 251 - Total number of guests who attended the queen’s coronation – over 6 000 more than will be at Charles’ coronation.
- 39 - Total number of sovereigns who’ve been crowned at Westminster Abbey. Charles will the 40th.
- 4 - Age Charles was at his mother’s coronation.
- 2 500 square metres - Extent of the new carpet made for Westminster Abbey for the queen’s coronation.
- 4 000 - Metres of velvet was woven to cover 2 000 chairs and 5 700 stools and 1 500 m of silk was brought for the hangings that adored the seating stands.
Sources: countryliving.com, nypost.com, bbc.com, royal.uk, telegraph.co.uk, news18.com, mirror.co.uk, heart.co.uk, express.co.uk, npr.org, globalnews.ca,
