LONDON, May 6. /TASS/. A solemn ceremony for the coronation of King Charles III and his spouse Queen Consort Camilla has begun at the Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

As revealed in a footage by BBC, the royal couple entered the gothic church in central London through the Great West Door ahead of a long procession accompanied by the Bishop of Bath and Wells Michael Beasley and the Bishop of Durham Paul Butler.

The 17th century regalia symbolizing the power of the monarch were carried in front of them. These are two ceremonial maces made of silver gilded over oak, as well as a large sovereign sword - a steel blade weighing more than 23 kg with a silver-gilt hilt with diamonds in the form of roses and thistles (symbols of England and Scotland), enclosed in a wooden sheath that is covered with velvet. Normally, these regalia are kept in the British Crown Treasury in the Tower of London.

Other regalia carried in front of the monarch included the sword of worldly justice emphasizing the role of the king as commander-in-chief of the British armed forces, the sword of spiritual justice, reminiscent of his status as the protector of the Christian faith, the sword of mercy, the broken end of which symbolizes his nobility, and the staff of St. Edward, recreated by the king England, Scotland and Ireland by Charles II in 1660.

After Their Majesties arrived at the service, the coronation choir, which unites the choir of Westminster Abbey and the choir of the Royal Chapel, the choristers of the Truro cathedral in England and Methodist College Belfast (one of the most prestigious schools in Northern Ireland), as well as the Monteverdi choir, created by King's College Chapel, Cambridge University, began to perform the introit (entrance chant) "I was glad" by the English composer Hubert Parry (1848-1918), written for the coronation of King Edward VII of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British dominions in 1901.

Andrew Nethsingha, organist and Master of the Choristers of Westminster Abbey, acts as choirmaster at the coronation. The service itself is conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury (spiritual head of the Church of England) Justin Welby. Upon arrival at the church, Charles III and Camilla went to the so-called coronation theater, located in the central inner part of the church, where they will sit in special chairs made of beech with gilding in the style of the 17th century by White, Allom and Company for the coronation of the mother of the current monarch, Elizabeth II, in 1953.

Greeting the King

At the Coronation Theatre, the royal couple will be greeted by 14-year-old Royal Chapel choir member Samuel Strachan, who will address the monarch with the following words: "Your Majesty, as children of the kingdom of God, we welcome you in the name of the King of kngs." Charles III will reply: "I come not to be served, but to serve." After this, Charles III, sitting in an armchair and bowing his head, will read a prayer to himself.

Then Welby will greet the king from the main altar of the church and thank the guests of the event for participating in the service. Afterwards, the Coronation Choir, along with opera singer Bryn Terfel, will perform the song Coronation Kyrie, written by composer Paul Mealor, marking the first time a Welsh-language piece will be performed at a British monarch's coronation ceremony.

The Recognition

The recognition is an ancient Anglo-Saxon element of the coronation service. Seating in the central part of the abbey His Majesty turns in all four directions to receive symbolic support from his subjects, accompanied by fanfares.

This time, to the east of Charles III is Welby, to the south - the head of St. Hugh's College of Oxford University, Dame of the Order of the Thistle Elish Angioloni, to the west - veteran of the Iraq War, holder of the George Cross Christopher Finney, and to the north - a member of the British House of Lords Parliament, Dame of the Order of the Garter (the highest order of chivalry in Great Britain) Valerie Amos.

They will turn to the guests of the event in turn and, addressing them, urge them to recognize Charles III as their monarch. In response, the participants in the ceremony will say: "God save King Charles." Then the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields, will present the King with a red leather-bound Bible, which was specially commissioned for service by the Church of England. The corresponding tradition dates back to the coronation of the King of England, Scotland and Ireland, William III of Orange in 1689.

Then Welby, as a preface to the coronation oath, will say that the Church of England "will seek to foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely." Thereafter, His Majesty, who is formally Sovereign of the Church of England, will take an oath to defend the Church of England and to govern each of his dominions in accordance with local laws and customs, and will sign copies of the oaths, presented by the Lord Chamberlain Andrew Parker.

The monarch will kneel in front of the main altar and for the first time will say aloud a prayer written specifically for the coronation and based on the Epistle to the Galatians from the New Testament and the British patriotic anthem "I Vow to Thee, My Country." The choir will then perform the anthem "Gloria" by the English composer William Byrd (1540-1623).

Peculiarities of the service

Welby will read a short prayer written for the coronation service, and only then the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who became the first head of the British government to profess Hinduism, will read passages from the Epistle to the Colossians. Following this, the coronation choir will perform the song "Alleluia", which was recorded by film composer Debbie Wiseman, while the Aprakos (church book) of Augustine of Canterbury (the first Archbishop of Canterbury), dating from the 6th century, will be delivered to the nave of the church. After that, Dame Sarah Mullally, Dean of His Majesty’s Chapels Royal will read excerpts from the Gospel of Luke. This is the first time when a female priest will take part in the coronation service in the UK.

Welby will then deliver a sermon, after which Charles III and Camilla will kneel as the coronation choir sings the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus in English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic. After that, the monarch will sit in the chair of King Edward, where, according to the tradition established since 1308, he will be anointed to reign.