King Charles III and Queen Camilla were Saturday crowned in a historic coronation ceremony, a sumptuous display of pageantry dating back 1,000 years, at Westminster Abbey in London.
The Archbishop of Canterbury — the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church — placed the 360-year-old St Edward’s Crown on Charles’ head as he sat upon a 14th-century throne in Westminster Abbey in front of a congregation of around 100 world leaders and a television audience of millions. After Charles, his second wife, Camilla was also crowned.
Charles, 74, automatically succeeded his mother as king on her death last September, and the coronation is not essential but regarded as a means to legitimise the monarch in a public way.
After returning to their residence following the two-hour-long ceremony, King Charles appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with his wife Queen Camilla, heir to the throne Prince William and other senior royals but Prince Harry, the King’s younger son, was absent.
The Coronation flypast, marking the end of public Coronation festivities, commenced with five helicopter formations approaching the Buckingham Palace.
After this formation, the RAF Red Arrows zoomed in over the Palace, with royals craning their necks to watch them.
The flypast lasted just two minutes and 30 seconds, scaled back from the original six minutes, due to unfavorable weather.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with working members of the royal family, including Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate Middleton.
Also present on the balcony are the monarch’s grandkids, including Prince William and Kate’s kids Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte, and some of Queen Camilla’s grandkids.
Princess Anne and Prince Edward, King Charles’ siblings, are also present on the balcony.
The Coronation flypast over Buckingham Palace has been cut down by two thirds, the UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Due to unsuitable weather conditions, with 90% chance of drizzly rain and low cloud at the scheduled time, the flypast will now only last two minutes and 30 seconds.
It was originally planned to be six minutes long, and feature 60 aircrafts from Royal Navy, British Army and the Royal Air Force.
The only aircrafts taking place in the flypast now are helicopters and the Red Arrows.
In a stunning display of unity, thousands of people who had lined London streets and watched the Coronation Procession file in front of the Buckingham Palace, waiting for the royals to appear on the balcony.
The King and Queen are back at the Buckingham Palace, and the balcony appearance is expected soon after with senior members of the royal family.
