King Charles Reportedly Nixes Idea Of A Budget Coronation In Favor Of 'Pomp And Pageantry'
King Charles III automatically became monarch when his mother Queen Elizabeth died on September 8 at the age of 96. During King Charles III's coronation, which will be on May 6, 2023, he will take an oath and be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, per BBC. He'll be crowned with St Edwards Crown, which was made for the last King Charles; the solid gold-framed crown was first used to crown King Charles II in 1661. The basics of the ceremony have been the same for nearly 1000 years, and it will be the first coronation in 70.
The historic moment is bound to be watched by millions, if Queen Elizabeth's coronation is any indication. Hers was the first televised coronation, and it was watched in Britain by 27 million people just in the UK, per The Royal Household. Reports on King Charles' coronation have noted that it's likely to be more cost-conscious than the last coronation, per Harper's Bazaar. However, the king doesn't seem to want to let the opportunity slide to show Britain at its best.
The coronation could be used to promote Great Britain
King Charles III wants the coronation to be "glorious" and include plenty of pomp and circumstance, via Mirror. It's not to promote himself, but rather the goal with the coronation would be to highlight and promote the United Kingdom to the world, per the Daily Express. As Baron Roberts of Belgravia put it to The Telegraph, "We feared that after the Queen's funeral, no one would take any notice of [the UK] for some time, but that's not true. In May, we will have the world's attention upon us."
It has been estimated that the royal family helps boost the British economy, particularly in regards to tourism, by billions of pounds, per the Regional Studies Association. Tourism was boosted for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 with over 2 million international visitors, according to Travel Weekly. It seems likely that a similar boost could be hoped for when it comes to the coronation of King Charles III, which would make it a bad time to pull back on the pageantry that the United Kingdom is so good at.
King Charles's coronation may still be different from Queen Elizabeth's in terms of the number of guests. Over 8,000 people were at Queen Elizabeth's coronation. That number will be cut by 75% for King Charles. His service will also be shorter than the queen's; hers clocked in at nearly three hours, according to The Telegraph.