Operation Orbe de oro, what you need to know about the coronation of King Carlos III

Eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth IIwho ruled the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations (Commonwealth) for 70 years, his eldest son becomes Charles III with Queen Camilla.

The ceremony, to which 2,000 people are invited, starts this Saturday May 6 at 05:00 Ecuador (11:00 London) with the carriage ride that the monarch and the queen’s consort, Camila, will take from Buckingham Palace, the residence of the royal family, to Westminster Abbey in London.

And despite the fact that the king wanted to stage an event less significant than his mother’s coronation in 1953 or Elizabeth’s funeral last September, the act will require a massive security operation.

Baptized “operation orb of gold”, the device to protect the route in and out of the abbey it includes rooftop snipers and plainclothes officers, metal detectors, sniffer dogs, and a no-fly zone over the city center.

The police will also use facial recognition technology on the street.

Carlos III will be graceful

Before the ceremony, the sovereign receives the royal badge, formed by the crown of Saint Edward, the orb and the scepters. According to the British royal family, the United Kingdom is the only European country that uses these insignia for a coronation.

Carlos III is given the sovereign’s sphere, which symbolizes the world; the scepter with a cross, representing the Christian world; the scepter of the dove, symbol of the spiritual role of the monarch, and the crown of Saint Edward, the only time in his life that the king will wear this crown, made in 1661, made of gold and decorated with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets and topazes.

Camila, for her part, will receive the staff of the Queen Consort and the crown of Queen María. Once crowned, Camila is referred to as queen rather than queen consort.

Following the coronation ceremony, the King and Queen will deliver their traditional salute from the balcony of Buckingham Palace to the crowds gathered there, as Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft will fly low over the building.

procession of the king

The day begins with the ‘King’s Procession’, a 2km journey through the city centre, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.

The royal couple travel in the modern carriage built for Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, pulled by six Windsor Gray horses and escorted by members of the Royal Household cavalry.

They will arrive at the church at 11:00 AM (5:00 AM Ecuador) for the start of the ceremony.

ceremony and guests

Carlos will be crowned at 12:00 local (06:00 Ecuador) and the religious service, presided over by the Church of England’s most senior minister, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, will conclude at 1:00 local (07:00 Ecuador ).

Some 2,000 people will be in attendance, from foreign leaders and members of the royal family to elected officials and representatives of civil society. Foreign Minister Gustavo Manrique and the Achuar leader Uyunka Domingo Peas.

The ceremony has been largely the same for over a thousand years.

First, the king is introduced to the faithful, who respond with cries of “God save King Charles!”. Trumpets sound after each recognition.

Vow

The Archbishop of Canterbury will take the “Coronation Oath”, in the form of questions to the monarch.

Carlos will answer the questions with his hand on the Bible and then say, “I will keep what I promised. God help me.”

It will also take an oath separately in which the king claims to be a “faithful Protestant”.

Anointing

The monarch, seated on King Edward’s throne, the Coronation Chair, under a canopy, is “anointed, blessed and consecrated” by the Archbishop.

The consecrated oil is poured from a golden vial and is administered with a 12th century gilded silver spoon which is the oldest artifact of the Crown Jewels.

The anointing will be “the only part of the ceremony that the public won’t see,” Welby said.

The coronation chair was made in 1300. Below it is the “Stone of Scone” or “stone of destiny”, an ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy that was seized by King Edward I.

Investment

After receiving the orb and scepters, representing the king’s spiritual and secular powers, the Crown of Saint Edward is placed on the monarch’s head.

This solid gold relic set with precious stones, such as rubies and sapphires, is only worn when the monarch is crowned.

enthronement

The monarch sits on the throne.

Traditionally, the archbishop and heir to the throne, followed by royal dukes and aristocrats, kneel and swear allegiance.

But this time, Crown Prince William will be the only royal duke to pay tribute to Charles.

What will be the role of William, Prince of Wales, in the coronation of his father Carlos III

And instead of the aristocratic homage, the Archbishop of Canterbury will invite all people, wherever they look or listen, to swear allegiance to the new king, a historic first that attempts to democratize the ceremony, but has drawn much criticism.

Camila is crowned separately in a similar but simpler ceremony.

coronation procession

The King and Queen return to Buckingham Palace on the gold float, in a grand parade called “coronation procession”.

First used in 1762, the carriage weighs four tons and will be pulled by eight Windsor Gray bristles.

They will be joined by other members of the royal family and some 4,000 soldiers in full uniform.

At the palace, the royal couple will appear on the balcony around 2:15 p.m. local time to greet and watch a flypast.

long weekend

Neighborhood parties dubbed the “Big Coronation Meal” take place all over the UK on Sundays.

At 8pm local time, the Windsor Castle venue, in west London, will host some 10,000 people for a concert featuring artists such as Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Take That and Andrea Bocelli.

Monday was declared a public holiday and the royal family called on the British to volunteer that day. .