From real reason the king wears a crown to a bonkers ritual involving NAKED men – Dan Snow’s guide to coronation rituals
THERE are few rituals on Earth with a pedigree as ancient as the crowning of the monarch of the United Kingdom.
When Charles is anointed with holy oil and that crown is placed on his head, he will be the latest in a line stretching back over a thousand years.
The service that saw Edgar crowned King of England in May 973 is the inspiration for the Coronation today.
Some elements hark back even further.
Headgear has mattered to kings since the beginning of time.
In warrior societies, kings would be given a beautiful helmet.
Egyptian pharaohs wore a tall crown with the famous cobra and vulture on the front, and Roman emperors wore wreaths.
In the same way, rulers have gripped staffs, sceptres, spears and swords since ancient times.
At its heart, the ceremony is all about confirming the authority of the ruler in public.
Make no mistake: I am in charge.
Early in today’s service Charles’s royal authority will be confirmed by those present in Westminster Abbey.
The acclamation is a great shout from everyone present that they approve of what is going on.
It’s a quick vote of confidence.
It hasn’t always gone smoothly.
In 1066, William the Conqueror’s nervous guards heard the huge roar from inside the abbey and thought it was an uprising, and went on a bit of a rampage, burning down nearby buildings and killing bystanders.
William heard the commotion and shook with fear on his throne.
Then comes the oath-taking, which is required by law.
The oath has changed over the years, but the main thrust of it still comes from the one sworn by William and Mary after the Glorious Revolution in 1689.
Like them, Charles will promise to uphold the law of the land and to uphold the Protestant religion.
Next: the anointing.
As Handel’s Zadok the Priest rings out, the King and Queen will have holy oil poured on them.
And this time it’s vegan (the late Queen had bits of sperm whale in her oil.)
This holy oil has been made from olives harvested from groves on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, pressed just outside Bethlehem, and had a few supplements such as jasmine and cinnamon added.
It was consecrated at a service in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on the site where Jesus was crucified.
The oil represents the Holy Spirit anointing its chosen prince.
Mighty warrior
It’s the big moment.
And we will not get to see it.
Just as with the Queen’s coronation, this mystical moment will be off camera.
The oil will be applied by the anointing spoon, which is one of the only pieces of the mediaeval Crown Jewels that survives.
Nearly all the rest were broken up and sold as Oliver Cromwell toppled the monarch in the 1600s and established a short-lived republic.
Following his anointing, Charles will be glad of a wardrobe change.
He will probably put on the Supertunica — the full-length, gold silk coat worn by his mother, grandfather and great grandfather.
Every little detail matters.
The belt has a gold buckle cast with roses, thistles and shamrocks, reflecting the constituent parts of his United Kingdom.
He will take hold of other items of Coronation regalia, representing the values of kingship.
Golden bracelets show sincerity and wisdom, a golden orb with a cross on top represents God’s authority over everything on Earth, spurs and swords reflect the king’s traditional role as a protector and a Coronation ring suggests that the Coronation is a marriage between king and people.
Two sceptres, which are symbols of authority, are inspired by the shepherd’s staff.
They are both dripping with jewels.
One has a cross on top and an absolutely gigantic diamond, the 530-carat Star Of Africa, and the other is topped by a dove, symbolising the Holy Ghost.
Now that he is properly attired and is holding or surrounded by some of the most famous and precious objects on earth, we get to the climax of the ceremony.
Charles will have St Edward’s Crown placed on his head by the archbishop, just as Edgar did 1,000 years ago.
As he is crowned he will be sitting on a very old throne, a wooden chair built in around 1300 for Edward I.
He had just stolen the ancient Stone of Destiny from Scone Palace in Perthshire.
This was the sandstone rock on which kings of Scotland had been crowned for centuries.
Some say it came from the Holy Land, others that local monks stuck any old piece of rock in the way of King Edward’s men.
Either way, it’s now a central part of the Coronation.
The stone, which will be returned to Scotland after the service, symbolises the fusion of England and Scotland.
Traditionally, this is when the great lords step forward to pay homage to the king.
Dukes and earls would kneel before their new sovereign, place their hands between his and kiss them on the cheek.
At Queen Victoria’s coronation, one poor old peer, Lord Rolle, fell over and literally rolled down the steps.
We think Charles will get rid of this bit.
Other traditions that have been cast off include young men stripping naked and bathing in front of the King prior to the Coronation.
He would then create them Knights of the Bath.
When England’s first queen to rule in her own right, Mary, came to the throne in 1553 this tradition suddenly felt a little inappropriate and it was dropped.
Also gone is the mighty warrior who rode into the coronation banquet in Westminster Hall, fully clad in armour to challenge anyone who denied the sovereign’s right to the throne to a duel.
It is a hereditary office and has descended from father to son, with one son-in-law thrown in, since 1066.
The current holder is a retired chartered accountant from Lincolnshire.
He must be a little nervous that a rival royal claimant doesn’t employ Tyson Fury as their champion.
