8 Big Moments From King Charles’ Coronation Weekend
History was made on Saturday morning when King Charles III, 74, and his wife, now Queen Camilla, were crowned in an incredibly elaborate ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey that spanned the better part of a forebodingly rainy day.
England has seen more than a thousand years of kings and queens, but despite the time that has passed, countless traditions have remained the same, leading to a rather odd and old-fashioned coronation, full of religious symbolism and checkered with reminders of the monarchy’s imperial past that might leave a sour taste in one’s mouth.
Of course, the weekend’s events also made room for plenty of gossip, particularly when it came to who was—and wasn’t—in attendance. The star-studded guest list included Emma Thompson, the singer Nick Cave (part of the Australian delegation, oddly), and of course, Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, and other, generally useless, royalty from around the world. When it comes to the general public, that meant the crowds that surrounded Buckingham Palace, many of whom had camped out for days before to watch the oldest-ever monarch make his procession to the palace in the Diamond Jubilee coach.
Efforts had also been made to “modernize” a ceremony that was, nonetheless, installing a hereditary monarchy as head of state. These included making it several hours shorter than usual, nodding to other faiths by featuring representatives from the Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, and other communities along with Anglican clerics presenting him with symbolic objects and his coronation regalia, while various religious leaders offered him a “spoken greeting in unison” in place of a prayer. Charles also sported old robes in the name of sustainability, and used a vegan holy oil instead of, say, civet, musk or ambergris.
Enthusiasm was decidedly mixed. According to a recent survey from the Angus Reid Institute, 60 percent of Canadians oppose recognizing Charles as King, while 28 percent did say they’ve got a favourable view of the guy. (Here's more on what it would take for Canada to abolish the monarchy, if you're curious.) As it turns out, we liked Liz a whole lot more. Nevertheless, we’re all set to face the man on a daily basis as he soon replaces his mother on our coins and the $20 bill.
Whether you were following along, or, like many Canadians, greeted it all with polite indifference, we’ve got you. Here, the most notable moments from King Charles’ coronation.
The crowning of Charles and Camilla
The day began with a procession to Westminster Abbey where William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, were, apparently, late. The couple were meant to show up prior to Charles and Camilla, who instead ended up waiting in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach for a staggering extra five minutes until the younger royals showed up. Tabloids naturally speculated whether the pair had been in a row, to borrow an English term, or were struggling to corral their three children.
Eventually, the 362-year-old solid-gold St. Edward’s Crown was placed on Charles’ head by the Archbishop of Canterbury—the first, and only time, the monarch will wear it. For the procession, he changed it up with the Imperial State Crown, which has a whopping 2,868 diamonds—because why not wear it all? He also made a series of oaths, in commitment to and in service of the law and also the Church of England—of which he is the head—whilst kissing the Bible.
Camilla was crowned next, with Queen Mary’s Crown, making this the first time a queen consort has been anointed with a pre-existing crown—at Camilla’s request. It was, however, customized with new diamonds that had belonged to Queen Elizabeth. The moment had many on social media noting it was a good moment for Camilla given ~the past~. Ahem.
Diamonds on display
Although Camilla did not wear the Koh-i-Noor diamond in her crown—a jewel stolen from India during the British rule—her coronation necklace featured the 22.48-carat Lahore Diamond, taken from Pakistan’s Lahore Fort and given to Queen Victoria by the East India Company.
While some royalists might be keen to say her wearing the nearly 200-year-old diamond necklace pays homage to the monarchy’s love of tradition, it felt like the most glaring reminder of its dark history. But what is a royal crowning without a reminder of colonization?
Prince Harry makes early exit
Much had been said prior to the weekend about Prince Harry’s presence at the ceremony, and his wife Meghan Markle’s lack thereof. Markle stayed at the pair’s home in Los Angeles to celebrate their son Archie’s fourth birthday (and likely to keep her distance from the press and the family, whom haven’t always been the kindest to her, to put it diplomatically).
While Harry did appear at the crowning (seated three rows behind William and Kate, and in a suit instead of pounds of robes), he made a hasty exit before the procession back to Buckingham Palace, not even bothering to take off his suit before jumping on a plane back home in time for little Archie’s big day. Call it what you will, but no one had a bigger smile or stress-free body language than Harry as he made an Irish exit.
Prince Andrew booed by the public
The guest list continued to prove gossip-worthy, as the disgraced Prince Andrew also made a brief appearance. The prince stepped down from royal duties in 2019, after it was revealed he had associated with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In 2022, he was stripped of his titles after he was accused of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s many young victims, though he has denied all allegations. (He paid a settlement to Giuffre later that year.) While Andrew attended the coronation, he did not have a formal role in the ceremony, and was booed by onlookers earlier in the day as he was driven past Buckingham Palace.
The big balcony moment
There is no big royal event without a big wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The returning procession featured Princess Anne on horseback behind Charles and Camilla, in full regalia, Gold Stick in Waiting (a.k.a. as ceremonial bodyguard for the royal family)—complete with an actual (ebony) stick.
The family then gathered at the palace’s balcony to wave to the crowds below. While Princes Harry and Andrew were absent, plenty of assorted marchionesses, dukes and pages were on hand, and of course, so were William, Kate, and their three children, Charlotte, George, and Louis (who offered up a clap along with his wave).
It provided a rare glimpse of emotion from Charles, who returned to the balcony for a second time after retreating back inside, while a group of page boys carried his robes for him.
Prince William’s tribute
On Sunday, a coronation concert was staged on the Windsor Castle grounds, after a day of street parties and community lunches around the country. The crowd boasted 20,000 people, was hosted by Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville (who unleashed some slightly unfortunate dad jokes—including calling Charles “the artist formerly known as prince”), and kicked off with a tribute from none other than Prince William, the next in line to the throne.
“Pa, we are all so proud of you,” William noted, as if Charles had worked his way to his crowning, rather than being granted it simply due to his DNA. William then addressed his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II: “Coronations are a declaration of our hopes for the future. I know she’s up there fondly keeping an eye on us and she would be a very proud mother.”
A parade of drones
Instead of customary fireworks, hundreds of elaborate drone displays decorated the sky during the concert, wowing the crowds, and leading to massive and audible gasps. They took the shapes of whales, butterflies, owls and other animals, because where else might the reported US$125 million reserved for the coronation be spent.
The evening’s performers were a motley crew of folks willing to dance it out for the royals. Reportedly, a long list of A-listers turned down the invite, including Adele and Harry Styles. More than happy to step in were the likes of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, boyband Take That, and more.
Capping off an already bizarre weekend, Perry performed love-yourself anthems “Firework” and “Roar” (which may not have had Charles on his feet, but did have young Charlotte dancing), while Nicole Scherzinger performed a totally unexplained ballad from Mulan, and Afrobeats singer Tiwa Savage generously sang “Keys to the Kingdom,” which may have felt right in title, but certainly didn’t in terms of tone.
Tom Cruise! Kermit! Miss Piggy!
Although he doesn’t often make appearances out in the wild, Tom Cruise did appear in a pre-recorded video message from the cockpit of his Top Gun Warbird plane, telling former RAF Pilot Charles, “Pilot to pilot, Your Majesty, you can be my wingman anytime.” Sure!
Other pre-recorded messages came from Hugh Jackman, Tom Jones, Joan Collins and, of course, Winnie the Pooh. Not to be outdone, Kermit and his gal Miss Piggy also dropped by, interrupting Bonneville whilst he presented and they searched for their seats, insisting they belonged in the royal box. Honestly, where are their crowns?
GET CHATELAINE IN YOUR INBOX!
Subscribe to our newsletters for our very best stories, recipes, style and shopping tips, horoscopes and special offers.