In a solemn religious ceremony that dates back nearly a thousand years, King Charles III has been crowned the King of the United Kingdom on Saturday at Westminster Abbey.
The king and his wife, Camilla, the queen consort, made the 2.2-kilometre travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey at a stately pace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was commissioned for Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. It was decorated with a gilded crown.
The big west door of the abbey served as the king’s entrance. He walked slowly through the church behind his wife, Camilla, wearing a long, dark red robe. A congregation of about 2,200 people welcomed him, including world royalty, heads of state and government, and local notables.
India was represented at the historic event by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife, Dr Sudesh Dhankhar, who sat next to other Commonwealth Heads of State.
Since William the Conqueror’s coronation in 1066, every British coronation has taken place at Westminster Abbey. King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, continued this illustrious tradition in service with the theme “Called to Serve.”
The service was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, and it began with a procession through the Abbey of religious leaders and representatives of the Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist, and Jewish communities.
After placing his hand on the Bible, King Charles III took the solemn oath to govern the people of the United Kingdom with “justice and mercy” and to foster a society where people of all faiths and beliefs can live freely. Later, he kissed the Bible.
King Charles III wore the crimson velvet Robe of State, a crimson coronation tunic, a cream silk overshirt and Royal Naval trousers for his coronation. King George VI wore the king’s crimson velvet robe of state during the Coronation in 1937.
The queen consort, Queen Camilla, wore a crimson robe that was initially designed in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth II. She is covered up in a tailored dress that Bruce Oldfield designed and made in his Battersea, London, couture studio.
Rishi Sunak made history by being the first British Prime Minister of Indian ancestry to deliver a reading at the Coronation ceremony.
The 42-year-old read from the Epistle to the Colossians, a New Testament passage with the theme of service to others, as the nation’s first Hindu head of state, continuing a recent tradition of UK Prime Ministers reading at State occasions.
The UK’s Union Jack flag was carried into the Abbey by a high-ranking Royal Air Force (RAF) cadet as he and his wife Akshata Murty, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, led the procession of flag-bearers.
“In the Abbey where monarchs have been crowned for almost a thousand years, representatives of every faith will play a central role for the first time,” said Sunak, in a statement on the eve of the historic event.
“The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be a moment of extraordinary national pride. Together with friends from across the Commonwealth and beyond, we will celebrate the enduring nature of our great monarchy: its constancy, devotion to duty, and service to others. No other country could put on such a dazzling display – the processions, the pageantry, the ceremonies, and street parties,” he said.
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