Oil for the coronation of British King Charles III consecrated in Jerusalem

The monarch will be anointed with oil from the Holy Land

The holy oil, myrrh, which will be used to anoint King Charles III during his coronation on May 6, was consecrated in a ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on Friday.

The anointing oil was made from olives harvested from groves on the Mount of Olives, a mountain range that stretches from Jerusalem’s Old City and has important religious symbolism for Christians and Jews, Sky News reported.

The olives were brought from the Monastery of Mary Magdalene and the Monastery of the Ascension of the Lord and were pressed near Bethlehem and then flavored with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber, as well as orange blossom.

This oil is based on the oil used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, according to a formula that dates back hundreds of years.

The oil, which has played an integral part in the ceremonies of many religions for centuries, was consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, the Reverend Hosam Naum, tells Sky News.

King Charles III will receive an orb, scepter and coronation ring, and will be crowned and blessed in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

Camilla, Queen Consort, will also be anointed with holy oil and crowned, as was Queen Mother Elizabeth when she was crowned in 1937.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “It is a great honor and gratitude for me that His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III and Archbishop Hosam Naum consecrated the oil that will be used to anoint His Majesty the King. I want to especially thank His Beatitude for providing this coronation oil, which reflects the King’s personal family connection to the Holy Land and his great concern for its peoples. I am also glad that the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem took part in the consecration of the oil.”

“From the very beginning of planning for the coronation, it was my desire that the new coronation oil be made using olive oil from the Mount of Olives,” says the Archbishop of Canterbury. “This demonstrates the deep historical connection between the coronation, the Bible, and the Holy Land. From ancient kings to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place. As we prepare to anoint the king and queen consort, I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen them.”