London (EFE) , residence of the royal family, to Westminster Abbey, in London.
This will be this symbolic act of the reign of Carlos III, which began on September 8 with the death of his mother, Isabel II.
– At 10:20 local time (09:20 GMT)
At that time, the monarch, accompanied by the queen consort, will depart in the “Diamond Jubilee” carriage, one of the most modern, from the palace to tour the great avenue The Mall and the Whitehall area, where the main ministries are located, until you reach the abbey, where the formal ceremony will take place.
On both sides of the streets through which the float will cross, thousands of people will be gathered with flags and banners, but it is also expected that there will be protests from Republican groups.
The oak carriage, which is air-conditioned and has hydraulic suspension, will be drawn by six horses and escorted by members of the royal guard.
– Shortly before 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT)
At this time, Carlos III and Camila are expected to arrive at the abbey. The king is expected to wear a military uniform instead of the formal garb with cape and stockings worn by previous monarchs.
Once in the religious temple, where numerous guests will be waiting, the formal coronation service will begin, the first since Elizabeth II was crowned in June 1953.
The king will advance towards the altar preceded by a procession made up of religious leaders, representatives of some countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations (former colonies), as well as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak.
Prince George, grandson of Carlos III and second in line to the throne, will be one of the coronation pages, along with Camila’s grandchildren -Lola, Eliza, Gus, Louis and Freddy-.
Some of the members of this procession will carry the royal insignia that will be used in the ceremony.
The king will be crowned in front of the high altar of the abbey, in Saint Edward’s chair, built in the 14th century and where many British heads of state have been crowned.
– The royal insignia
For the ceremony, the sovereign will be presented with the royal insignia, made up of the crown of Saint Edward, the orb and the sceptres. The United Kingdom, according to the British royal family, is the only European country to use these insignia for a coronation.
These objects symbolize the responsibilities of the British head of state until the day of his death.
Carlos III will be given the sovereign’s orb, which symbolizes the world; the scepter with a cross, which represents the Christian world; the scepter of the dove, symbol of the spiritual role of the monarch, and the crown of Saint Edward, the only time in his life that the king will wear this crown built in 1661, made of gold and decorated with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets and topazes.
Camila, for her part, will receive the staff of the queen consort and the crown of queen María. Once crowned, Camila will be called queen instead of queen consort.
– The stages of coronation
First stage: Carlos III will be presented to the “people”, an ancient tradition in which the king will look at the congregation and they will shout “God save the King!” and trumpets will sound.
Second stage: The two oaths of the king. One to recognize the different religions that are observed in the United Kingdom and the other with which the monarch agrees to be a “faithful Protestant”, known as the “Declaration of Accession”.
Third stage: Carlos III will sit on the oak chair of Saint Edward, considered the oldest piece of furniture in the United Kingdom and which will be placed on a medieval mosaic floor, to be anointed, in order to emphasize the spiritual function as head of the Church of England. For this, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will pour oil on the king’s head, chest and hands.
Fourth stage: The most important moment. The King will receive the royal insignia before the Archbishop of Canterbury places St Edward’s Crown on his head. Here the abbey bells will be tolled while cannon shots will be fired at the Tower of London and other locations around the country.
Later, Prince William, heir to the British crown, will kneel before his father to pay homage to him.
Once Charles and Camilla are crowned, the king will remove the St Edward’s crown to put on the Imperial one, used at the formal opening of the British Parliament.
– 1:00 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT)
At this time the ceremony is expected to conclude. The crowned kings will return to Buckingham Palace in the 260-year-old state carriage, accompanied by almost 4,000 members of the armed forces.
– After 2:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT)
The king and queen will perform their traditional salute from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, in front of the crowd gathered there, while Royal Air Force (RAF) planes will fly low over the building.
One of the great unknowns of a ceremony scheduled to the millimeter and of which almost all the details are known will be to know which are the members of the Royal Family designated by the kings to appear on the balcony of Buckingham.