Britain's first coronation in 70 years will take place on Saturday as Charles III ascends the throne in an elaborate Christian ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London blending history with contemporary touches.
The coronation, the first of a British king in seven decades, is the religious confirmation of his accession after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, last September and is both the symbolic religious ceremony during which a sovereign is crowned and the physical act of placing a crown on a monarch's head.
It formalises the monarch's role as the head of the Church of England and marks the transfer of their title and powers. The monarch will don the same vestments as his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, during her coronation 70 years ago.
During the ceremony, the King will be crowned with the solid gold, 17th Century St Edward's Crown. Exceptionally heavy and only used at the moment of coronation, it is kept in the Tower of London, and is brought out only for coronations.
In the ceremony, Charles will be anointed with holy oil, symbolizing the sacred nature of his rule. He will be vested with an imperial mantle, and the archbishop of Canterbury will place the ancient crown of St. Edward onto his head. Once crowned,
Charles and Camilla will return to Buckingham Palace in a golden stagecoach used by Elizabeth for her coronation procession.
The event will also witness the crowning of Charles's second wife, Camilla, as queen. She will be crowned with St. Mary's Crown, adorned with Cullinan diamonds. Camilla has opted not to wear the traditional crown containing the controversial Kohinoor diamond, given its association with British colonialism in India.
While there have been calls for the Kohinoor diamond to be repatriated to South Asia amid the debates, the Indian government has said it officially that it has laid this claim to rest.
The diamond was forcibly ‘gifted’ in 1849 by 10-year-old Maharajah Duleep Singh to the British East India Company and subsequently placed into the crown of the late Queen Mother for her coronation in 1937.
About 2,300 people have been invited to the ceremony which will feature new faces, royals, world leaders, pop music icons and most of Charles's family and also include women bishops and minority faith leaders unlike previous coronations.
Thousands are reportedly crowding into central London despite the rain to get a glimpse pf the king and his queen as they travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, escorted by four divisions of the Household Mounted Cavalry regiment, reports The New York Times.
The meticulously rehearsed pageant will feature approximately 7,000 military personnel, including mounted troops and marching bands.
After years of strained family ties, Prince Harry will attend his father’s coronation without his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
There is also another crown, Imperial State Crown, which will be put on towards the end of the coronation ceremony and which he will also wear when he appears on Buckingham Palace balcony.
The Imperial State Crown contains the Cullinan II diamond, sometimes called the Second Star of Africa. It was given to Edward VII on his 66th birthday by the government of the Transvaal, a former British crown colony, which is now part of South Africa.
India's involvement in the coronation is also significant. Rishi Sunak, Britain's first Hindu Prime Minister, will read from the biblical book of Colossians, while his wife Akshata will lead the procession of flagbearers into the Abbey.
Lord Narendra Babubhai Patel, 84, will represent the Hindu faith and present the Sovereign's Ring to Charles. Additionally, Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, and his wife Dr. Sudeep Dhankhar, will attend the ceremony.
Sonam Kapoor will deliver a spoken word performance to introduce the Commonwealth virtual choir.
The dabbawalas from Mumbai will also attend the ceremony representing their fraternity at the coronation event, according to news agency ANI. They have bought a Puneri turban and a shawl made by the Warkari community to gift the King on the special occasion.
The coronation of King Charles III is expected to cost around £100 million which amounts to over Rs 1021.5 crore. The British government will foot the bill for the coronation since it's a state affair.
The cost is double that of the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II when the British government spent £1.5 million, which is equivalent to around £50 million (around Rs 528.7 crore) today. However, the worldwide TV rights for the event are expected to more than cover the cost.
Amid the pomp and pageantry, there were also reports of protests by anti-monarchy demonstrators at The Mall in London.
The ceremony is due to start at 4:30 PM in India, with the King's procession expected to arrive at Westminster Abbey shortly beforehand. The ceremony will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC radio. Charles' Coronation will also be available via BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
Many channels such as ABC, Sky News and Fox News will also offer live streams on YouTube. Live-streaming will also be available on the YouTube channels of BBC iPlayer and ITVX.