The Coronation Of The Charles III

Ishtiaq Ahmed

London: Although this is more of a ceremonial role it is nonetheless an important one. He would become the constitutional head of state. The British Government would be referred to his government responsible for discharging the affairs of the state, internal and external, on his behalf. It is for this reason that the elected head of the majority political party has to invite by the monarch before he becomes the minister of the state i.e the prime minister. From there onward, the prime minister has weekly audience with the monarch to brief him and to receive and give advice.

The first documented coronation at Westminster was that of William the Conqueror in 1066.The first king to be crowned in the present Abbey was Edward I in 1274. The last state royal coronation was that of the Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, who ruled until her death on 8th September 2022.

Tomorrow, His Majesty King Charles III will be crowned in a state ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London

All the arrangements for coronation ceremonies are made by the Earl Marshal and his Coronation Committee on behalf of the Crown and not by the Abbey authorities. But the Dean of Westminster instructs the sovereign on all matters connected with the service and assists the Archbishop of Canterbury, who always crowns the monarch.

Since the late 14th century every coronation ceremony has basically followed the same order of service laid down Latin manuscript, the Liber Regalis kept at the Abbey.

The Coronation will include many of the ceremonies that were seen in the late Queen’s service, such as the oath, anointing, homage and enthronement. Charles will also have the crown of St Edward placed on his head, officially crowning him as King Charles III.

The new King will have plenty on his hands to restore the relevance of the monarchy. Recent public opinion polls suggest declining support for the monarchy among young people. Also, it relevance is being questioned by some commonwealth countries. There is a vociferous lobby at home questioning the appropriateness of this ancient institution in a modern democratic setup. There are also growing concerns about the cost to the public purse of maintaining this archaic institution.

Charles III will become the king of Britain, its territories and the Commonwealth

The supporters of the monarchy emphasise the stability and continuity that the institution brings to the governance. They also point to the goodwill factor that the British monarchy generates both at home and abroad. They are quick to point that the monarchy is a single uniting factor in a nation of diverse and competing national and regional political interests and the commercial value of stability and continuity.

The for and against arguments are nothing new and I am certain will continue to be hotly debated between the royalists and republicans. In the meantime, the coronation of the new king will happen with all the splendour and gaiety with millions attending and many millions more witnessing it on their TV and mobile sets.