King Charles and Queen Camilla have been crowned on an historic day of pageantry.
The two-hour ceremony at Westminster Abbey, the first to crown a monarch in 70 years, was a deeply religious Coronation service where the main theme was of the importance of service, “I come not to be served, but to serve,” the King said in his first prayer after reaching the abbey. After the crown was placed on Charles’s head cries of “God Save the King” were heard inside and outside, and gun salutes were made across the UK.
Months of intense planning went into the celebrations – the 40th coronation to take place at Westminster Abbey since 1066. The ceremony and congregation emphasised diversity and inclusion, with more multi-faith and cultural elements than any previous Coronation.
Some 18 million watched the service on TV screens and 10’s of thousands packed the Mall to cheer the huge procession, of coaches, 19 military bands and some 4,000 servicemen and women. In all, a magnificent spectacle of pomp and pageantry.
