On November 14, 1948, Charles III, also known as Charles Philip Arthur George, was born. Charles, England’s future monarch, was born in Buckingham Palace during his maternal grandfather George VI’s reign. Elizabeth II became queen in 1952, when Charles was three. Charles became Prince of Wales in 1958; he was invested in 1969. He also attended Cheam and Gordonstoun schools. Charles joined the Royal Air Force and Navy after graduating from Cambridge in 1971. He married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 and had two kids, Prince William (now King of the United Kingdom) and Prince Harry. After publicizing their adulterous affairs, they divorced in 1996. Diana’s death was caused by a car accident the following year. Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.
Charles III and Camilla were crowned king and queen of the UK and Commonwealth on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Charles succeeded Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022. Anglican Holy Communion centered the occasion. Charles was crowned, anointed with holy oil, and given royal symbols to emphasize his religious and political obligations as king.
After the Church of England and royal family officials pledged loyalty, Commonwealth states were urged to do likewise. Camilla’s coronation was simpler. After the ceremony, the royal family rode in a state procession to Buckingham Palace and appeared on the balcony. The coronation ceremony for Charles and Camilla was shorter than his mother’s in 1953 and included elements from a wider variety of religions and civilizations than at previous British coronations.
Reactions to the coronation were mixed in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. A concert is scheduled for May 7 at Windsor Castle, and street parties and volunteering events are being organized for the public of the United Kingdom from May 6 to 8. Congregations of the Church of England have also planned special commemorative church services to be held nationwide.
Celebrations were organized throughout the Crown Dependencies and foreign territories, as well as in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. In April 2023, surveys conducted in the United Kingdom indicated mixed feelings about the event and the royal family. Republican parties in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Glasgow organized demonstrations. The performance at Windsor Castle, like the coronation at Westminster Abbey, will be televised and streamed online.
