Coronation news and updates are slowly trickling in still. As of the beginning of April 2023, The King and Queen have just returned from their short but succesful state visit to Germany, so obviously the Palace wants to keep attention on that. (Not to meant the cancelled visit to France.) However, we are quickly approaching the one month mark, and much has yet to be confirmed. One aspect that does not need to be confirmed, though, is the location. Where will the coronation take place?
The Coronation Processon Route
The one question about location that we do not have an answer for yet is the procession route. The King and Queen will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the coronation, most likely in the Gold State Coach*. The Gold State Coach was commissioned in 1762, and it has been used for every coronation in Britain since 1821. (George IV’s coronation in 1821 was the first after it was created.)
After the Coronation service is completed, The King and Queen will process back to Buckingham Palace. This is formally known as the Coronation Process Royal reporters have suggested that the Wales family will be joining the couple, but that is TBD. (We do not even know if Prince George will have a role in the service like Charles reportedly wants, I think that any news of the Waleses will not be shared until the last minute.)
There are certain places that we can essentially guarantee that they will travel on, ie. The Mall. Nothing has been confirmed, though.
*I will fairly upset if we don’t see the Gold State Coach at the Coronation; this is essentially the only time we are guaranteed to see it during a reign.
Westminster Abbey- Home to Coronations Since 1066
King Charles III’s coronation on 6 May 2023 will be taking place at Westminster Abbey, as we all know. The first coronation on record at Westminster Abbey was William the Conqueror’s coronation in 1066. Yes, that makes this 2023 coronation the 40th coronation at the Abbey. (The only monarchs to not be crowned were Edward V, one of the Princes in the Tower, and Edward VIII, meaning that they did not have a coronation elsewhere.)
Edward the Confessor’s Church
There was originally a monastery on the site where Westminster Abbey stands now dedicated to Saint Peter that was formed sometime in the eighth or ninth century. However, King Edward I, aka King Edward the Confessor, chose to rebuild the church in the Romanesque style in order to create a church for royal burials. Edward, and his wife Edith, were both buried in the Abbey. (If you are not familiar with Edward the Confessor, he was not particularly holy during his lifetime. He was canonised a century later, probably due to politics.)
A Medieval Church in the Modern
The Westminster Abbey that we see today largely dates back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. There were some changes in the following centuries, such as Henry VII’s building of the “Lady Chapel”.
During Henry VIII’s reign, the Abbey was made Protestant. Under his elder daughter Mary, it returned to Catholicism, but under his younger daughter Elizabeth, it permanently became a Protestant church. Elizabeth also made the church a royal peculiar, meaning that the Dean of Westminster reports to the monarch directly rather than the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Where Will Everyone Sit?
If you watched the 2011 royal wedding, you will already know that even with the Abbey full with its regular 2,200 guests, most people will not actually be able to see the service taking place. While Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation saw upwards of 8,000 guests, it is reported that King Charles will have somewhere around 2,200. If he does not stick to the number of guests that can regularly fit in Westminster Abbey, special grandstands are traditionally built for coronations to allow more guests to be present for the ceremony. (Again, most of them would not actually be able to see them, but alas alack.)
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If you want more info, you can find my earlier Coronation Chronicles posts:
Introduction: What is a Coronation
Who Will Attend the 2023 Coronation?
What Will King Charles Wear to the Coronation?
Have you visited Westminster Abbey?
Cheers,
The Historian
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