The coronation of the British king Charles III was prevented by bad weather

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned in Westminster Abbey, marking the symbolic start of a new royal era in Britain and, according to The Guardian, an extraordinary moment for a man who has spent more than seven decades waiting for the throne.

In an elaborate and archaic ritual not seen in Britain since 1953 (when Elizabeth II was crowned), the king was anointed with holy oil and sworn in as king, after which the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, placed the crown of St Edward on the head of the monarch with the exclamation of “God Save the King “.

In front of 2,300 guests, including over 100 heads of state and government, the British King also swore to support the Protestant religion in Britain and to preserve the rights of the Anglican Church, as provided for in an act of Parliament.

Tens of thousands of people crowded along the procession’s route from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey, many even camping out for the night to provide seats with a good view of the parade. It was attended by 4,000 members of the armed forces and 19 military bands, the most at any state event since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

However, accusations of police brutality have become a fly in the ointment after a number of anti-royalist protesters, including the head of the UK’s leading anti-monarchist Republic campaign, were arrested before the march began. Graham Smith was collecting drinks and posters for demonstrators at the main protest site when he was detained by police on the Strand around 7:30 am.

Up to 2,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square under the statue of Charles I, who was executed in 1649, chanting and holding yellow banners reading “Not my king.” One sign read: “Don’t you think this is a little silly?”

Peter Tatchell, a human rights activist, tweeted a video showing a large barrier set up in front of the protesters to keep them from the royal couple during the procession. “This is not a free country when we don’t have the right to protest freely,” the activist said.

Scotland Yard has been accused of an “incredibly disturbing” attack on the right to protest after police used their new government powers to arrest the leader of a leading republican movement and other organizers of a sanctioned demonstration just hours before the coronation of King Charles III.

Earlier this week, London Police tweeted that they would have “extremely low tolerance” for those who seek to “ruin” the holiday.

Under the new Public Order Law, protesters who have an item with the intent to use it to “hijack” are subject to a fine, while those blocking roads face up to 12 months in prison.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Lee Anderson drew ire for advising anti-monarchy activists to “emigrate.” The Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party commented on the arrests of Republican Caucus protesters ahead of the coronation on Saturday morning. Sharing a message about the arrests on Twitter, Anderson wrote: “Not my king? If you don’t want to live in a country with a monarchy, then the solution is not to show up here with your stupid posters. The solution is to emigrate.”

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In his oath, the king promised to govern Great Britain and 15 Commonwealth countries, where he is also head of state (Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Belize, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, etc.), in accordance with the law and “to pursue the fulfillment of the law and justice in mercy.”

But, The Guardian notes, in recognition that the Palace and the Anglican Church had misjudged the public mood, a last-minute change was made to the wording of the controversial homage to the people, which was first included in the ceremony, but which, according to the king’s friend Jonathan Dimbleby , he would consider “disgusting”.

Instead of calling on “all men of good will” in the abbey and at home watching on television to swear “to render true respect … to their undisputed king,” Welby changed the wording to emphasize that it was a voluntary and personal act.

“Now I invite those who wish to offer their support to do so with a bit of thought by joining in the ‘God Save King Charles’ at the end or, for those with words before them, quote them in full,” he said. .

There was a slight moment of hesitation as Welby placed the crown on the king’s head, the Archbishop of Canterbury checking to see if the crown, which weighs 2.25 kg, was securely held before letting it go.

The Prince of Wales (Prince William) bowed and kissed his father after he paid “homage to royalty” in which he declared himself “your lord, a man of life and health.” “Thank you, William,” the king seemed to say.

The King’s youngest son, Prince Harry, attended the ceremony alone, without his wife Meghan and children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. This is the first time the prince has been seen with the royal family since the publication of his controversial autobiography Spare earlier this year, in which he scathingly criticized his father the king, stepmother the queen and brother the crown prince.

Arriving in the UK on Friday, Prince Harry, with medals pinned to his jacket, sat two rows behind his brother in Westminster Abbey, between Jack Brooksbank, the husband of his cousin Princess Eugenie, and Princess Alexandra, cousin of Elizabeth II.

Among those seated in the front row were the Princess Royal Anne, her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Lawrence, and the Duke of Kent. The first row was reserved for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie.

As The Guardian recalls, at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last September, Harry sat in the second row at Westminster Abbey, right behind his father.

Moreover, social networks drew attention to the fact that the massive hat with a red feather on the head of Princess Anne, who was sitting in front of Harry, seemed to deliberately obscure the face of the poor prince.

It is said that relations between the quarreling members of the royal family remain extremely cold, and there were some doubts about whether Prince Harry would even attend the coronation. Sources have indicated that the fact that the coronation fell on his son Archie’s fourth birthday played a role in the Duchess of Sussex’s decision not to travel from America.

Although Harry is no longer a current member of the royal family, he remains fifth in line to the throne behind the Prince of Wales and his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Harry and Meghan’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are sixth and seventh in line.

After the coronation ceremony, the Duke of Sussex, apparently, quickly left London. On this occasion, the tabloid Daily Mail reacted with a caustic headline: “So you won’t stay for lunch, Harry?”

According to the publication, the prince’s car was seen at Heathrow airport just an hour after the coronation of King Charles. It comes after the 38-year-old Duke of Sussex apparently made it clear to Jack Brooksbank that he would leave immediately after the ceremony during a conversation they shared at Westminster Abbey.

Many expected Harry to return to the US as soon as possible to celebrate the fourth birthday of his son Archie with Meghan Markle. Given the time difference between London and California, Harry had a chance, the journalists calculated.

It was reported that the Duke of Sussex was invited to a post-coronation dinner at Buckingham Palace, which many would have taken as an olive branch after his explosive memoir left several members of the royal family reeling – most notably his brother Prince William.

But on the day of the coronation, Harry had an awkward smile on his face as he was forced to watch the event of a generation from his lowest seat in the third row, while his brother took center stage next to a beaming Kate Middleton. The prince seemed keen to appear hilarious amid continued speculation about domestic turmoil within the royal family following the release of his bombshell book in February.

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The Archbishop of Canterbury said in his sermon that the purpose of the ceremony was “to crown a king for service” and paid tribute both to the king’s life ministry and to the many present at the ceremony, which included members of community organizations, the armed forces and emergency services.

For the first time at the coronation ceremony, the newly appointed king was greeted as he left the abbey by members of the Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist communities, who said they “[объединились] … in gratitude and in service with you for the common good.”

Despite its antiquity, the coronation ceremony has no legal or constitutional significance, and Charles III has been king since the death of his mother last September. However, the symbolic ritual is very important for a man who, at 74, has been heir to the throne since the age of three.

This, The Guardian points out, also confirms the extraordinary journey of the woman he married in 2005, after both of their first marriages ended in divorce. From young royal friend to offended mistress, from Duchess of Cornwall to queen consort, she will be known as Queen Camilla after her coronation, Buckingham Palace said.

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Returning to Buckingham Palace after their coronation, the king and queen appeared on the palace balcony, joining other members of the royal family to watch the flight of aircraft, which had to be cut short due to heavy rain.

Charles III and Camilla stood next to the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal. On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the Queen smiled as she appeared to be talking to the King about the wet weather, holding her outstretched palm up to the sky, Sky News reported.

“The New Firm has assembled,” the Daily Mail states as the royal family appears on the palace balcony.

As in Soviet times, foreign Sovietologists looked out for the order in which members of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee stood on the podium of the Mausoleum, so modern royal experts draw conclusions about the weight of representatives of the British monarchy, based on the order in which high-ranking persons stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. And this is how it was: to the right of the king and queen stood the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince Louis and Charlotte. Next to them stood the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Lady Louise Windsor. Eight pages of honor stood closest to the king and queen, including second-in-line Prince George and Camilla’s grandchildren. To the right of the King and Queen were Prince and Princess Michael of Kent – the Prince is the late Queen’s cousin. Behind Camilla were her court ladies – her sister Annabelle Elliot and the current Queen’s longtime friend and companion, Lady Lansdowne.

There was no sign of the presence on the balcony of Buckingham Palace – the two disgraced members of the royal family – Prince Andrew or Prince Harry, who had previously attended the coronation service.

Bad weather thwarted initial plans for an air show – more than 60 planes were supposed to fly over Buckingham Palace, but due to “unsuitable weather conditions” only Red Arrows pilots and helicopters took part in the flight, the British Ministry of Defense said.

The King and Queen briefly returned for an encore, much to the delight of the crowd, before reentering the Buckingham Palace chambers.