King Charles Coronation: Full order of service announced for Westminster ceremony
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The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla takes place today at Westminster Abbey. The full order of service of the event has now been revealed.
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The Service will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby. The music during the Service is directed by Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, Westminster Abbey.
The King and Queen will enter Westminster Abbey through the Great West Door. They will arrive at the Chairs of Estate in the Coronation Theatre, where The King will be greeted by the longest serving chorister of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal.
The history of this greeting is rooted in the ordination and consecration of members of the clergy, where the inclusion of a young person symbolises looking towards the future. The King will then have a personal moment of silent prayer, as Queen Elizabeth II did in 1953.
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Following this, the Archbishop of Canterbury will give a greeting from the High Altar, welcoming the congregation to the Service. The choir, joined by Sir Bryn Terfel, will sing the ‘Kyrie’, which will be sung in Welsh for the first time.
During the service, the King will be presented with the Holy Bible by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The words of His Majesty’s prayer have been inspired by the hymn, ‘I vow to thee, my country’, in a continuation of the theme of service.
For The Investiture, The King will be vested with the Colobium Sidonis, a white linen shift-like tunic; the Supertunica, a full-length, sleeved gold coat; and the Coronation Sword Belt. He will sit in the Coronation Chair as items of Regalia are presented; first, the Spurs, carried by the Lord Great Chamberlain.
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The Byzantine Chant Ensemble will sing in Greek, in recognition of His Majesty’s father Prince Philip, The late Duke of Edinburgh, while the Sword of State is exchanged for the Sword of Offering by the Lord President of the Council, The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP. The Sword of Offering, which symbolises the protection of good and the punishment of evil, will be delivered to the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be placed in The King’s right hand.
The King will rise, and the Sword will be fastened at His Majesty’s waist using the Sword Belt. The King will offer the Sword at the Altar, where it will be received by the Dean. The Sword will then be redeemed with the offering of 100 newly minted 50ps, by the Lord President of the Council, who will carry it before The King for the remainder of the Service.
For The Crowning, The Dean of Westminster will deliver St Edward’s Crown to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will offer a blessing before His Majesty The King is crowned. The Archbishop will lead the congregation of Westminster Abbey in saying, ‘God save The King’.
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The bells of the Abbey will ring as gun salutes are fired in celebration on Horse Guards Parade, at His Majesty’s Fortress the Tower of London, and at Saluting Stations throughout the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Bermuda, and His Majesty’s ships at sea. In Westminster Abbey, the Wiener Philharmoniker Fanfare will be played by the Coronation Brass Ensemble, as requested by The King. His Majesty will then be blessed by ecumenical leaders.
The service gets underway at 11am today at Westminster Abbey. To follow the full order of service, visit the official Royal Family website.
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