King Charles III will be the first British king in history to have his coronation televised.
His mother Queen Elizabeth made history with her own televised coronation in 1953. It's a ceremony full
of Pomp and Circumstance, cloaked in mystery and steeped in Tradition with a healthy dose
of historical pettiness and happenstance... take the location: the crowning of British monarchs
in Westminster Abbey is a tradition that dates back to 1066 and the time of William the Conqueror
Having just rested control of England from the Saxons at the Battle of Hastings, William chose
to be crowned in the same location as Harold the Saxon King as a symbolic gesture. Then there's
the chair: known as the coronation chair it was commissioned by King Edward the first in 1296
and has been the seat upon which all British monarchs have been crowned since. Originally
covered in gilding and glass, the coronation chair is one of the oldest pieces of furniture in the
United Kingdom. But why did Edward have it built? take a look at what lies underneath the coronation
chair the Stone of Scone aka the Stone of Destiny this simple block of sandstone was the
seat that Scottish kings were crowned upon since at least early Medieval Times of course all that
changed in 1296 when Edward the first conquered Scotland and had the stone moved to Westminster
Abbey. the chair is designed to sit on top of the stone symbolizing the dominance of the British
Monarchy over Scotland the stone was returned by the British government to Scotland in 1996 and is
kept with the Scottish crown jewels in Edinburgh Castle to this day... unless there's a coronation!
This is actually the first time that's come up. On Coronation Day King Charles and his wife Camilla
will travel to The Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee coach -- it's the first time that this carriage
has been used into coronation it was delivered to Queen Elizabeth II in 2014 and used for the state
opening of Parliament that year on a few occasions subsequently but of course therefore it's never
had the chance to be used in such a historic and important occasion. Then comes the ceremony
itself led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and featuring the newly made Cross of Wales which
includes fragments of wood which some believe to be from the True Cross upon which Jesus Christ was
crucified next comes the only constitutionally mandated part of the ceremony during which the
King will make his vow to uphold the law and defend the faith. Then comes the anointing the
oil which is the Holy Oil the Christian which has been consecrated is poured into a spoon
very old item of regalia and the Archbishop of Canterbury takes the oil and anoints
the Monarch in 3 three different places. the oil consecrated in Jerusalem was produced from
olives that grew from groves on the Mount of Olives at the monastery of the Ascension and
the Church of Mary Magdalene-- the burial place of Charles's grandmother Princess Alice of Battenberg
After the anointing, it's on to the investiture where the King will be presented with the famous
crown jewels... so this is when the King is dressed up to look like a king one of the relics is the
Sovereign's Orb commissioned for Charles II's coronation in 1661 -- it's made of gold and has well
over 300 diamonds on it then there's a sovereign sceptre with cross the world's largest colourless
cut diamond intended to symbolize the Monarch's religious power. There are a few swords including
the Sword of State which represents the Monarch's authority in the country. And we can't forget the
famous wedding ring of England composed of a sapphire with a ruby cross set in diamonds
commissioned back in 1831. This all symbolizes that he or she is taking on the role of Monarch he
actually is saying yes I will be honoured this is the contract it's like the most gold-covered job
contract signing you could imagine of course it wouldn't be a coronation ceremony without a crown
St. Edward's Crown in this case... made of solid gold weighing nearly five pounds and decorated
with 444 precious and semi-precious stones it was destroyed when Charles the first was beheaded and
then recommissioned in 1661 for Charles II so Edward's Crown is the centrepiece of the regalia
and it is the final moment is the culmination of the investiture. Just like the crown a lot of the
original items used in the coronation ceremony have been destroyed altered or lost time over
the often tumultuous centuries of British history. Camilla will also get her own mini-ceremony as
Queen Consort she will have a mini version of the ceremony that he has he is anointed and crowned
first she will follow in a kind of watered-down version. The Sovereign is then presented to the
congregation the rest of the Abbey and the world as the Monarch. For their post-coordination tour
the king and queen consort will travel in the gold State Coach commissioned in 1760
this massive coach weighs over four tons and requires a team of eight horses to pull. They'll
end the coronation procession with a classic Royal greeting and wave from the balcony at Buckingham
Palace. Coronation looks back to our tradition and draws enormous straight from it it looks rounded
our society and seeks to reflect affect us as we are with joy and celebration. While the guest
list for King Charles coronation will be much smaller than his mother's was in 1953, thanks to the wonders
of modern technology, centuries-old traditions and regalia will be on full display... in high definition.
In a nod to his mother's 1953 Coronation coronation, in a
somewhat controversial decision, Charles chose quiche filled with spinach broad beans and tarragon
for community lunches planned across Britain to celebrate The Grand Event.