Charles III has officially been crowned king in the first coronation in Britain since 1953.
At 12:02 pm on Saturday, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby placed the solid gold St Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head as a sacred and ancient symbol of the monarch’s authority.
As he prepared to do so, Welby said: “King of kings and Lord of lords, bless, we beseech thee, this Crown, and so sanctify thy servant Charles, upon whose head this day thou dost place it for a sign of royal majesty;
“… that he may be crowned with thy gracious favour and filled with abundant grace and all princely virtues; through him who liveth and reigneth supreme over all things, one God, world without end. Amen.”
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After crowning the King, Welby said: “God Save the King.”
Earlier, King Charles III had taken his Coronation oath.
The King and Queen Camilla had the Abbey to the choral music for today’s ceremony was performed by the Choir of Westminster Abbey.
The coronation anthem was written by Hubert Parry for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 and sung at all coronations since then.
The music performance was augmented by the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace; choristers from Methodist College, Belfast; the Choir of Truro Cathedral and an octet from the Monteverdi Choir.
Parry incorporated a set of “vivats” – traditional Latin acclamations for the new monarch – into his piece, which must be rewritten for each coronation.
The King and Queen had arrived at Westminster Abbey to mark the start of his historic coronation ceremony in just moments away.
As King Charles nears Westminster Abbey, several senior members of the royal family have entered the venue.
His siblings — Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew — have all taken their seats.
Earlier Queen Camilla’s family arrived at the Abbey, including her former husband Andrew Parker-Bowles and her daughter Laura Lopes and son Tom Parker-Bowles.
In a slight deviation from tradition, the couple are processing to the ceremony in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach drawn by six Windsor Grey horses. They are being accompanied on the 1.3-mile route by four divisions of the sovereign’s most trusted bodyguards, the Household Cavalry.
