King Charles’ and his wife Queen Consort Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. Charles III was on Saturday crowned monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth nations after a lifetime as heir apparent to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Camilla, his wife, was crowned immediately after.’
The coronation — a symbolic coming together of the monarchy, church and state — was attended by dignitaries from around the world, and thousands of people gathered in London to take in all the pageantry. It was Britain’s first coronation in 70 years.
Cries of “God Save the King” rang out from the 2,300-member congregation, which included foreign royalty and political leaders. Trumpet fanfares sounded along with gun salutes across Britain and beyond. King Charles III and Queen Camilla greeted rain-drenched crowds with smiles and waves, alongside other British royals from the balcony of Buckingham Palace shortly after their coronations. Rishi Sunak — Britain’s first prime minister of colour, who gave a reading from the Bible at the service — has described the coronation as “a proud expression of our history, culture and traditions”. On May 7, thousands of events took place across the country as part of the Coronation Big Lunch.
The Coronation of King Charles III will serve as an “enormous economic boost to the nation”, Buckingham Palace had said earlier. A spokesperson said that the global interest in the celebration would more than repay the money spent on the occasion. According to reports, more than £1 billion is expected to flow into UK’s economy as a result of Coronation.
