Britain was waking up Saturday to a once-in-a-generation royal event: the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London.
While Charles became King on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, the coronation is the formal crowning of the monarch. In a ceremony that is expected to last at least two hours, Charles will be officially crowned, presented with an array ceremonial objects and be recognized as King by various representatives of the British state.
The London Metropolitan Police Service said Saturday would be the largest one-day policing operation in decades, with more than 11,500 officers on duty in London. Security around the event came into focus earlier this week when a man was arrested just outside Buckingham Palace after he allegedly threw suspected shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds.
The ceremony will be a profoundly religious affair, reflecting the fact that aside from being head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 other countries, Charles is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. It will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Church.
Music will play a central part in the ceremony, and five new compositions have been commissioned for the main part of the service, including an anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a composer better known for West End musicals. However, some parts of British media and public interpreted the invitation as a command, reporting that people were"asked" and"called" to swear allegiance to the King.
There have been questions, too, over the cost of staging the state event at the time of a cost-of-living crisis.Some eyebrows were also raised earlier this week when a controversial and widely criticized UK public order bill came into force.
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