The lavish coronation ceremony of Carlos III and his wife Camila, an unprecedented event in the United Kingdom for 70 years, began on Saturday in London, marred before its start by the arrest of several people who tried to demonstrate.
The 74-year-old king and his 75-year-old wife arrived at Westminster Abbey after a short carriage procession from Buckingham Palace.
Despite the persistent rain, thousands of fans thronged along the course to greet them.
“We are very proud to be British,” Phyllis Taylor, 60, who traveled to London from Scotland with her husband for “this very special occasion,” told AFP.
On their way, the royal couple also passed the yellow banners of the anti-monarchy group Republic, which read “Not my king.” A group of these activists was arrested when preparing to protest.
“They arrested six of our organizers and confiscated hundreds of banners, they don’t tell us why they arrested them or where they are keeping them,” one of the protesters told AFP.
About twenty members of the environmental group “Just Stop Oil” were arrested and handcuffed in the area, as seen by an AFP photographer..
This “is something we would expect to see in Moscow, not London,” said Yasmine Ahmed, head of the NGO Human Rights Watch.
“Peaceful protests allow those in power to be held to account, something the UK government seems to be increasingly reluctant to do,” he added, referring to a new law rushed through this week giving police greater powers against protests.
millennial ritual
Some 2,300 guests attended the religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey, including US First Lady Jill Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, as well as hundreds of British civil society representatives. .
Before their eyes, and those of millions of viewers, Charles III and Camilla solemnly entered, dressed in ceremonial capes, to be enshrined at the top of the British monarchy, eight months after ascending to the throne on the death of Elizabeth II, who reigned for seven decades.
Although the king wanted a more modern and simple ceremony than his mother’s, in a context of serious crisis due to the soaring cost of living, it takes place according to a pompous ritual that has practically not changed for a thousand years, unique among European monarchies.
Three crowns set with diamonds and precious stones, several ancient garments embroidered with gold that the king will require at different stages of the ceremony, three scepters and a pair of gold spurs will be used.
In a nod to modern concerns, the anointing oil will be vegan, though enshrined as tradition requires in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christians believe Jesus was buried.
In what is considered the most sacred part of the ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the Church of England, of which the King is the highest leader, will anoint the hands, chest and head of Charles III and Camilla, hidden from everyone’s view on a screen.
Previously, the monarch will have been presented to the attendees, who will recognize him with salutes and the sound of trumpets. And with his hand on the Bible, he will take the oath.
The central part of the act will come when Archbishop Justin Welby places on his head the spectacular crown of Saint Edward, which is only worn at the time of coronation.
Replacing the traditional homage of the aristocrats, the religious will invite all people, from where they are watching or listening, to swear allegiance to the new king, a historical first that seeks the democratization of the ceremony, but which has strong criticism.
Accompanied by thousands of military and royalty members, the monarchs will return in a new procession to Buckingham Palace, where they and their family will greet the crowd from the balcony.
Enrique, 38, Carlos’s youngest son and at odds with the royal family, attended the coronation without his wife, the American Meghan Markle, who stayed in California with their two children.
It is not expected that he appeared on the balcony, unless there is a gesture of reconciliation between the family and the prince, who launched harsh criticism against the monarchy, especially against Queen Camila and her brother Guillermo, 40-year-old heir to the throne.