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Look: Charles III officially crowned King at first UK coronation since 1953

Tens of thousands of people had lined the side of the grand boulevard

Published: Sat 6 May 2023, 1:25 PM

Updated: Sat 6 May 2023, 11:22 PM

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  • AFP

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Charles III on Saturday finally met his date with destiny after a lifetime as heir to his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, as he was officially crowned king in the first coronation in Britain since 1953.

At exactly 12.02 pm (1102 GMT), the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby placed the solid gold St Edward's Crown on Charles's head as a sacred and ancient symbol of the monarch's authority.


Cries of "God Save the King" rang out from the 2,300-member congregation at Westminster Abbey and trumpet fanfares sounded at the climax of the solemn religious confirmation of his accession.

Outside, ceremonial gun salutes blasted out across land and sea while bells pealed in celebration at churches.

Charles, 74, will wear the St Edward's Crown only once during his reign. His wife, Camilla, 75, was crowned queen in a simpler ceremony soon afterwards.

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AP

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AP

The build-up to the Christian ceremony of prayer and praise — steeped in 1,000 years of British history and tradition, with sumptuous robes and priceless regalia — has been mostly celebratory.

But even before Charles and Camilla left Buckingham Palace for a rainy procession to the abbey, police arrested dozens of protesters using new powers rushed onto the statute book to crack down on direct action groups.

The anti-monarchy movement Republic -- which wants an elected head of state -- said six of its organisers were detained, while climate activists Just Stop Oil said 19 of its number were held.

Nevertheless, dozens of Republic activists held aloft banners on the route of the procession route, declaring: "Not My King."

Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International voiced concern at the arrests. "This is something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London," HRW said.

London's Metropolitan Police has some 11,500 officers on the streets in one of its biggest ever security operations. It has warned that it has an "extremely low threshold" for protests.

As well as being the first coronation in 70 years, it was the first of a king since 1937. It was only the second to be televised and the first in colour and streamed online.

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