Explained: What is the significance of the coronation of King Charles III ?

On May 6, 2023, the United Kingdom will bow down to King Charles III as he gets coronated. However, the King assumed the throne as soon as his mother Late Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022. Hence, the question might arise why is there a need for a coronation when Britons already know who their King is? While there are many details about the nitty-gritty of the coronation emerging, one indeed tends to wonder what significance this event holds. It was the year 1953 when the country saw 25-year-old Elizabeth getting crowned as the Queen of Great Britain, in a highly publicised event. 

This May coronation will be the first time most people in the United Kingdom will witness King Charles III getting coronated. The lavish ceremony dates back to 1,000 years. As the country heads towards the historic event, here’s a look at what the coronation is all about.

What is a coronation?

If we go by dictionary terms, the word coronation refers to the act of getting crowned or to put it more simply, putting a crown on the monarch’s head. Earlier the British monarch would assume the crown after the ceremony. However, things changed soon, and in modern monarchy, the next-in-line assumes the throne immediately after the death of his or her predecessor. The coronation is done afterward, as a stamp of approval. 

Princess Elizabeth, centre, age 11, appears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation of her father, King George VI, right, in London, May 12, 1937, Image: AP 

It is important to note that the coronation ceremony is not just about a monarch getting crowned, there is more to the story. During the ceremony, the monarch has to take an oath and is also presented with several royal regalia such as a spectre and an orb. “It is an occasion for pageantry and celebration, but it is also a solemn religious ceremony,” Buckingham Palace described the event in the past. While there are minute things that have changed over the years, the lavish ceremony has more or less remained the same. 

History of coronation

According to the archival documents of the British House of Commons, some sort of coronation ceremony can be traced back to the 7th and 8th centuries. However, we can see the ceremony undergo several phases, i.e. Pre-Union Phase and Post-Union Phase. However, the article will focus on the Post-Union phase, when Scotland came into the union with England. With the 1707 Union, the (English) Coronation Oath Act 1688, now extended to Scotland as part of the new Kingdom of Great Britain. From here on, there would have been only one statutory coronation ceremony for the British monarch. 

An etching of the coronation of King George IV on 19 July 1821, Image: House of Coronation Library 

With this King George I, became the first King to be coronated after the formation of the union in 1714. The title of “The Kingdom of England” was amended to “The Kingdom of Great Britain”. Further changes took place in 1821 when Great Britain became the United Kingdom, which reflected the 1801 Union between Great Britain and Ireland. The change was reflected in the coronation of King George IV in 1821. The oath now included the promise of maintaining a “United church” of England and Ireland. After George IV, it was William IV who was slated to assume the crown. However, the new monarch refused to have a lavish coronation. After a lot of force, he had a modest day and since then the ceremony has more or less remained the same. 

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II 

The last coronation ceremony the United Kingdom witnessed was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The late queen and the mother of the current British monarch King Charles II were crowned on 2 June 1953, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI. The oath of the coronation was amended again, due to the historic independence of India and Ireland’s departure from the commonwealth in the 1940s (Northern Ireland remained a part of the United Kingdom). “If, as I am advised, the Coronation Oath can be lawfully administered in the terms now proposed, no useful purpose would be served by legislation. It must be remembered that at Westminster the Queen will be crowned Queen not only of the United Kingdom but also of other self-governing countries of the Commonwealth,” British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said ahead of the Queen’s coronation.

Surrounded by peers and churchmen, Queen Elizabeth II sits on throne in Westminister Abbey, London, June 2, 1953, Image: AP

The event was significant since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the first ever coronation ceremony to be televised. According to Buckingham Palace, the event was watched by 27 million people in the UK alone, along with millions of audiences from around the world. With the 1953 coronation, Queen Elizabeth II became the sixth Queen to have been crowned in Westminster Abbey in her own right. The first was Queen Mary I, who was crowned on 1 October 1553. Queen Mary of Teck, was also the first Queen to see a grandchild ascend to the throne. However, she died before the coronation ceremony took place.

Why did Charles need a coronation? 

The new British monarch assumed the throne immediately after Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022, this made many wonders why the ceremony is needed. King Edward VIII was never coronated since he abdicated the throne 11 months after he became the King in 1936. Another interesting fact is that of all European monarchies the United Kingdom is the only country that still has a religious coronation ceremony, making the question more pivotal than ever before. 

The Gold State Coach on display at the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace, London, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in which King Charles III and the Queen Consort will return in to Buckingham Palace after the coronation on May 6, Image: AP

Part of the Crown Jewels, the Coronation Regalia are sacred objects which symbolise the powers and responsibilities of the Monarch.

In keeping with tradition, the Regalia will be used at Westminster Abbey for the #Coronation Service in May:

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily)

What makes the coronation needed is the oath the monarch takes once he assumes the throne. During the ceremony, the new monarch has to take three statutory oaths, the Scottish oath, to uphold the Presbyterian Church of Scotland; the accession declaration oath, to be a true and faithful protestant; and the coronation oath, which deals with the pledge of upholding the rights and privileges of the Church of England. While the King has already taken the Scottish oath following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, he still needs to take the other two oaths, which will happen at the ceremony, as per the report by Sky News. Hence, the coronation of  King Charles III becomes historically more poignant and significant.