Coronation Countdown

As we approach the coronation of King Charles III a week from today, some glimpses of the last King and Queen to be crowned in Westminster Abbey 86 years ago

 On Monday I’m off to England, where I’ll be doing commentary for CNN on the historic coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Saturday May 6^th. Between now and then, I’ll be offering some rare images that I found during my research for George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy.

Many aspects of the first 21^st century coronation will differ markedly from the “elaborate ritual of personal and national dedication” witnessed by 8,000 people  inside the Abbey—many of them seated in tiered grandstands lining the nave and above the transepts—and transmitted to hundreds of millions of radio listeners around the world on May 12^th, 1937. The service then was two-and-a-half hours long, and involved many intricately choreographed rituals.

Next Saturday’s ceremony for seventy-four-year-old Charles and seventy-five-year-old Camilla is expected to run less than two hours, and the procession will be a quarter the length of George VI and Elizabeth’s, who were forty-one and thirty-six at the time. In the words of The Times, “the size and magnificence of Their Majesties’ procession were astounding.”

Only 2,000 guests will attend, including heads of state from France, Ireland, Spain, and Japan. President Joe Biden has declined, and First Lady Jill will be there, presumably with bells on! Most notably, many members of the House of Lords will be excluded for the first time. Instead, Charles has invited hundreds of volunteers who have served their communities as well as representatives of charities he supported during his long tenure as Prince of Wales.

The thousand-year-old ceremony next Saturday will look different in its promotion of diversity with significant representation of Britain’s multi-cultural population as well as more prominent roles for women and leaders from a range of non-Christian faiths. While King Charles, like his mother and her predecessors, is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England—the official religion of the United Kingdom, established by law and respected by sentiment—he is the “Defender of the Faith.” But for many years he has declared his intention to protect other faiths as well.

Most striking will be the monarch’s reported decision to abandon the centuries-old costume of white knee breeches and silk stockings, red satin surcoat, red velvet robe, ermine cape, and red velvet cap of maintenance rimmed by ermine.  He is expected to appear in the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet or perhaps just in morning dress. I’m hoping Charles has a change of heart and at least wears the robe and cap—the medieval-era signifier of the King’s authority in the absence of a crown.

I’m also crossing fingers that Queen Camilla, who will enter the Abbey bare-headed like her predecessor queen consorts, will wear the traditional exquisitely embroidered white satin dress and purple cloak.

As we ponder how the modern coronation will look, Royals Extra subscribers can enjoy below some vivid pictures of the 1937 version, where the peers of the aristocracy filled the south transept in their red velvet and ermine-trimmed robes, with the peeresses—“a vitrine of bosoms and jewels and bobbing tiaras”—seated opposite in similar garb. If tiaras are excluded next Saturday, much of the magnificence could be lost. Fortunately, the Anglican bishops and archbishops will fill the gap in their elaborate vestments, with their colorful copes of gold, green, yellow, purple, and white.