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The former Prince Charles became heir apparent (next in line to the throne) at the age of three years old in 1952. Charles became king upon his mother's death on 8 September 2022. At the age of 73, he became the oldest person to accede to the British throne, after having been the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales in British history.
With his parents and sister Anne, October 1957
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Charles was the first heir to see his mother crowned as Sovereign.
4-year-old Prince Charles apparently bored out of his mind at his mother's coronation in 1953, with his grandmother, the Queen Mother (left), and his aunt, Princess Margaret (right)
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As Prince of Wales, Charles was given the title, 'Keeper of the Cows', by the Masai in Tanzania in 2011 to recognise his work as a farmer. The awarding of the title is considered a great honour as in Maasai culture, the cow is king. The Maasai believe they own every cow in the world - and had been particularly impressed to hear that Charles keeps over 800 cows on his land in the UK.
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Westminster Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066. Before the Abbey was built, Coronations were carried out wherever was convenient, taking place in Bath, Oxford and Canterbury.
The act of crowning takes place in the Coronation Chair, facing the High Altar, on the Cosmati mosaic pavement.
The Coronation Chair at the 1911 coronation
The chair was made by order of Edward I at the turn of the fourteenth century to house the Stone of Scone (aka Stone of Destiny), which he seized and brought back from Scotland in 1296. The oak piece of furniture was specially constructed so that the Stone of Scone was enclosed within it. However, over time the wood has eroded and the stone is now more exposed.
The Stone of Scone normally resides in Edinburgh Castle after being returned to Scotland in 1996. The stone has been transported to London and will be reunited with the chair especially for Charles’s big day before heading back up north.
The Stone of Scone in the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey (photo c. 1875 – c. 1885). In 1914, the stone was broken in half by a suffragette bombing.
Elizabeth seated on the Coronation Chair, wearing the St. Edward Crown and carrying the Sovereign’s Sceptre and Rod.
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For hundreds of years, the monarch stayed at the Tower of London two nights before the coronation. The day before the coronation, the monarch then processed through London to Westminster. This last happened in 1661 with Charles II.
Charles 11, coronation portrait
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For the first time since 1937, the coronation of King Charles III will include the crowing of a Queen Consort.
Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI, was the last Queen Consort to be crowned.
George VI and Elizabeth in their coronation robes, 1937
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Also known as 'The Wedding Ring of England', the Sovereign's Ring has featured in every coronation since King William IV in 1831, when it was made. At the coronation of Queen Victoria, her fingers were so small that the ring could not be reduced far enough in size and an alternative was created.
During the coronation ceremony the ring is placed on the fourth finger of the sovereign by the archbishop, as a symbol of 'kingly dignity'. Since the thirteenth century it has been traditional to include a ruby as the principal stone in the ring. The presentation of the ring forms part of the investiture of the coronation, which is preceded by the anointing with holy oil, and is followed by the crowning itself.
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The original 14th century order of service, Liber Regalis, was written in Latin and descends directly from that of King Edgar at Bath in 973 CE. The Liber Regalis has provided the basis for every Coronation since. The Coronation Oath and the Accession Declaration Oath are the only aspects of the ceremony that are required by law.
The Liber Regalis (Latin for "Royal Book") is an English medieval illuminated manuscript which was, most likely, compiled in 1382 to provide details for the coronation of England's new queen, Anne of Bohemia. The Liber Regalis contains the ordo (order) for the following events: the coronation of a king, a king and queen and a queen alone, and details regarding the funeral of a king; each liturgy opens with a full-page illustration depicting the event.
The manuscript provided the order of service for all subsequent coronations up to, and including, that of Elizabeth I. For the coronation of James I the liturgy was translated into English. Nevertheless, with occasional adaptations to suit the political and religious circumstances of the time, the Liber Regalis remained the basis for all later coronation liturgies. The manuscript belongs to Westminster Abbey.
The illustration shows the coronation of Richard II and his first wife Anne of Bohemia.
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The first photograph of a coronation was taken during that of George V in 1911 by Sir Benjamin Stone, an MP and amateur photographer.
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More than 6,000 men and women of the UK's Armed Forces - and nearly 400 Armed Forces personnel from at least 35 Commonwealth countries - will take part in the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
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Coronation Chicken was invented for the guests who were to be entertained, following Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation. The food had to be prepared in advance, and Florist Constance Spry proposed a recipe of cold chicken in a curry cream sauce with a well-seasoned dressed salad of rice, green peas and mixed herbs. Constance Spry's recipe won the approval of the Minister of Works and has since been known as Coronation Chicken.
The original Coronation Chicken
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