LONDON, October 11. /TASS/. The coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom will be held at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023, nearly eight months after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the Buckingham Palace said on a statement on Tuesday.
"Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce that the Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6th May, 2023," the statement says. "The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort."
"The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry," the Buckingham Palace said.
Details of the ceremony will be announced later. The coronation is expected to include all traditional elements, but will not be overly sumptuous to reflect the spirit of the time.
An heir to the British throne becomes the monarch immediately upon his predecessor’s death, but is crowned a few months later, after the mourning period is over. Elizabeth II was crowned about 16 months after the death of her father George VI (1895-1952), on June 2, 1953.
In accordance with the tradition that dates back to 1308, the British monarch is seated on St. Edward’s Chair during the coronation. He gives a formal oath to defend the law and the church, before being invested with regalia, anointed with holy oil and crowned with St Edward's Crown. The current St Edward's Crown was made in 1661. It is solid gold, weighs about 2.2 kilograms, and is decorated with over 400 precious and semi-precious stones.
Charles III will be 74 years old at the time of his coronation.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, the world's longest-serving monarch, died at the age of 96 in Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, after reigning for 70 years and seven months. She was laid to rest on September 19, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, next to her parents, King George VI (1895-1952) and Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002), as well as her sister, Princess Margaret (1930-2002).
Charles, 73, has been proclaimed the new king of the United Kingdom on September 10, and will officially reign under the title of His Majesty King Charles III.