Following Saturday's glittering ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey featuring royalty and leaders from around the world, the emphasis shifted to a chance for the public to mark the "Carolean" age after Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year reign.
The 90-year-old peer was part of a procession of peers who walked up to the altar before handing over the Coronation Glove, which is a demonstration of the sovereign as advocate and challenger for the protection and honour of the people. It also bears a second meaning, as a reminder of holding power, symbolised in the royal Sceptre, gently in a gloved hand.
Trumpets sounded inside the medieval abbey and the congregation shouted 'God save King Charles' as the ceremony began in front of more than 2,000 guests, including world leaders, aristocrats and celebrities. For 1,000 years and more, British monarchs have been crowned in grandiose ceremonies that confirm their right to rule.
The 42-year-old British Hindu leader read from the Epistle to the Colossians from the New Testament reflecting the theme of service to others, in keeping with the recent tradition of UK Prime Ministers giving readings at State occasions. He and his wife Akshata Murty led the procession of flag-bearers as the UK's Union Jack flag was carried into the Abbey by a high-ranking Royal Air Force cadet.
King Charles III's coronation is a chance to unite people with the history and pageantry of the monarchy, but those traditions are also full of potential controversies as he tries to show that the monarchy still has a role to play in modern Britain.
King Charles III will be crowned in a more modern ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, featuring toned-down pomp and symbolism. The abbreviated service will see Charles crowned, anointed with oil, and given traditional symbols of the monarch such as the orb and sceptre. His wife, Camilla, will be crowned queen consort.
The coronation of King Charles will seek to blend the ancient ritual of a ceremony that dates back for almost 1,000 years with the modern, more diverse face of Britain and its many faiths, the Order of Service makes clear. Watched by about 100 heads of state and dignitaries, Charles will be crowned on Saturday at Westminster Abbey, which has staged all coronations since William the Conqueror back in 1066.
Rishi Sunak will read from the biblical book of Colossians at the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday in keeping with the recent tradition of British prime ministers giving readings at State occasions. Sunak, Britain's first PM of Indian heritage and a practicing Hindu, reading from a biblical book will resonate with the multi-faith theme being struck for the Christian ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Raaghav Das is one of 48 King’s Scholars at the private boarding Westminster School in London, next to Westminster Abbey where the coronation ceremony will take place.
The ruling Conservatives in Britain have experienced significant losses in the local council elections, marking PM Rishi Sunak's first major electoral test since he took office last year. The centre-right party was on course for its worst defeat in local elections since the 1990s. The main opposition Labour party gained 110 seats and took control of key targets in Plymouth, Stoke-on-Trent, and Medway.
A man was arrested by British police on Tuesday after he approached the gates of Buckingham Palace and threw items 'suspected to be shotgun cartridges' into the grounds of the palace, London's Metropolitan Police said. "The man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon," police said in a statement, adding that a controlled explosion had also taken place.
As the son of a farmhand from the Australian outback, Simon Abney-Hastings might be an unlikely choice to receive an invitation to King Charles III's coronation.But when he takes his seat in Westminster Abbey next week, he will be the one person other than those in the line of succession who could actually have a claim on the throne.Unlikely though it might seem, the scenario is based on research by British medieval historian Michael Jones.
