A short guide to the royal coronation
King Charles III will be crowned alongside his wife Camilla in Westminster Abbey on May 6 2023. The ceremony comes eight months after his accession and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Buckingham Palace stated that the event will be steeped in tradition and pageantry while also acknowledging the monarch’s modern role and looking to the future.
The ceremony will see the King anointed with holy oil, receive the orb, coronation ring and sceptre, and be crowned with the St Edward’s Crown and then blessed.
Camilla will also be anointed with holy oil and crowned, following the example of the Queen Mother’s coronation in 1937.
The coronation ceremony will consist of five main elements: the Recognition, the Oath, the Anointing, the Investiture and Crowning, and the Enthronement and Homage, including the Queen Consort’s coronation.
key points – times and places
1. The formal celebrations will begin with a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, with public viewing areas opening at 06:00 BST.
2. There will be stands for invited guests, including armed forces veterans and NHS and social care staff.
3. The procession will begin at 10:20 BST and will include 200 members of the armed forces.
4. King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will travel in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach to Westminster Abbey.
5. The ceremony is due to begin at 11:00, and the King will be presented with the Sovereign’s Orb, the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove.
6. The service is expected to last a little under two hours and will include female clergy and religious leaders from other faiths.
7. The Coronation Chair, believed to be the oldest piece of furniture in the UK still used for its original purpose, will be used in the service.