King Charles III, 74, was officially crowned King of England in a colourful coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London yesterday, eight months after he ascended the throne in September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II at the age 96. Shortly after, his wife, Camilla, was also crowned Queen.
The ceremony was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who was assisted by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.
Chants of “God Save the King” were heard inside and outside Westminster Abbey after the crown was placed on King Charles’s head.
There were reports of gun salutes around the United Kingdom, two minutes of abbey bell ringing and champagne corks popping on the Mall in London, where a large crowd had gathered.
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Following the ceremony, the crowd that had gathered along the path of the procession witnessed the newly crowned couple ride in the Gold State Coach to Buckingham Palace.
The Gold State Coach was reported by Aljazeera to be 260 years old, weighs 4 tonnes and has been used every occasion since 1831.
People on the mall in front of the palace peered out from under their umbrellas to observe the family’s appearance from the balcony.
Prince Harry, who attended the wedding in Westminster Abbey, was not allowed to join his family on the balcony, according to the BBC.
According to reports, over 2,200 people were invited to witness the coronation of the king. The final guest list included 100 heads of state, 203 country representatives and members of the royal family.
President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins were among the foreign leaders that attended the ceremony.
Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil and Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, were also in attendance.
While the president of the United States, Joe Biden, was not present, his wife, Jill Biden, served as his representative.
King Charles was born in Buckingham Palace during the rule of his maternal grandfather, George VI and was three years old when his mother, Elizabeth II, ascended to the throne in 1952, making him the heir apparent. His swearing in took place in 1969 after he was made Prince of Wales in 1958.
He attended Cheam and Gordonstoun schools for his early education before spending six months at the Timbertop campus of Victoria, Australia’s Geelong Grammar School.
Charles served in the Royal Air Force and Navy for five years, from 1971 to 1976, after getting a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge.
He married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and they have two sons: William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Following their public extramarital encounters, the couple filed for divorce in 1996.
The following year, Diana passed away as a consequence of injuries incurred in an automobile accident. In 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, his long-time companion.
At his mother’s passing on September 8, 2022, Charles ascended to the throne. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales in British history before becoming the oldest person to ascend the British throne at the age of 73.
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Meanwhile, President-elect Bola Tinubu has congratulated King Charles III on his coronation as the King of England, saying he looks forward to working with the monarch.
Tinubu expressed confidence that King Charles would follow in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022, noting that the newly crowned monarch would surpass the Queen’s achievements in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.
The President-elect said this via a congratulatory letter to King Charles III.
The incoming president, who enjoined the monarch to continue to tackle the plight of the underprivileged people in Africa and around the world, expressed hope that the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Britain will continue and become stronger during King Charles’ reign.
“Once again, I rejoice with you on your coronation and pray that God Almighty grant you strength and wisdom and make your reign successful for the benefit of not only the people of Great Britain but for the entire world.”
