The Coronation of King Charles III
The newly crowned King and Queen greet the crowds outside Buckingham Palace.
This was hardly the first coronation, but with the passing of seventy years since the last one, no one was entirely sure what to expect. Especially as Britain and the world at large were much different places. When the Queen was crowned in 1953 the country was still reeling from the Second World War, the British Empire still in existence. In 2023, how would King Charles blend the modern and the traditional to create something relevant and yet still rooted in who we are as a nation?
Young and old alike came out to support the coronation despite the weather.
Coronation decorations were present everywhere.
Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worst early on in the day.
What made this event all the more remarkable was the fact this was the third major royal event in the span of twelve months. Highly unusual, and after the Platinum Jubilee and the Queen’s funeral I was curious as to what the turnout would be considering Charles has always lived in his mother’s shadow. Thankfully, the crowds were still substantial, with millions more tuning in around the country and around the world. For those of us in London we had the task of either finding a spot along the procession route or in one of the royal parks with a big screen. For me it had to be along the route, and after a false start I did actually manage to make it to The Mall.
The CRIII emblazoned on the uniforms of the State Trumpeters from the Household Cavalry were the biggest symbol of change for me.
King Charles heads to Westminster Abbey for the formal ceremony in the more comfortable Diamond Jubilee carriage.
A close-up of the King waving to the crowds.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a major British event without the appearance of very British weather, with it being wet for most of the day. Thankfully though not the flash flooding we’ve also seen this week. But despite the hours and hours of waiting it was well worth it to glimpse the largest royal procession since 1953. For me what really symbolised the change from Queen to King was seeing the gold embroidered uniforms of the State Trumpeters with CRIII and not ERII, as it had been for the funeral last year. After all the years of wondering what this moment would be like, that was when it really sank in for me.
Whilst the ceremony was going on the enormous military procession was forming up. These soldiers from the Kings Guard carry flags from different Commonwealth Countries.
I spotted that members of the Royal Marine Band wore tiger skin. Though these have been synthetic since 2019.
The vanguard of the Household Cavalry herald the return of the King to Buckingham Palace.
Unfortunately, with little to no signal with the sheer amount of people there, I couldn’t get the actual ceremony at Westminster Abbey up on my phone, but it was at least broadcast via the loudspeakers at The Mall. What I most wanted to see however, was the newly crowned King and Queen travelling back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach. And what a magnificent sight it was. It really is incredible seeing this enormous, large carriage pulled by no less than eight horses and of course this time with crowned monarchs inside. Something from another era, but also something that provides a great deal of continuity. Every monarch since William IV has used it for their coronation. Though King Charles opted to use it for a much shorter period of time given how uncomfortable it is.
The number of marching bands and the sound they created was incredible.
A rare sight. The guards from the Tower of London also participated in the procession to Buckingham Palace.
The magnificent Gold State Carriage brings the newly crowned King and Queen back to Buckingham Palace. An incredible thing to behold.
A close-up of the King and Queen in the Gold State Carriage.
The final part of the day was the flyover and the Royal family greeting the crowds on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. I hadn’t managed to be in the same position I was in last year for the Jubilee and so I didn’t think I’d get a chance to get that balcony photo. But I did manage to get onto The Mall when it opened and, bit by bit, we got closer and closer until amazingly we were far enough down to where I could see them with my own two eyes. Thankfully there was a lot less staging this year and this meant the public could get much closer. I’d brought my telephoto lens for this exact moment and managed to get shots even better than last year, which I was really thrilled with. A great memento from such an extraordinary day. Just a pity the flyover was greatly reduced due to the bad weather.
Following behind them were William, Kate and the children.
And behind them the Duchess of Gloucester waves to the crowds.
After a small time waiting I finally made it onto The Mall.
Then it was just a case of waiting to see how far down we could get. Could I make it to the balcony? Note the enormous Royal Standard flying above the palace.
For now, it should be back to business as usual for the Royal family, with no major events on the horizon for some time. Though of course we never know what the future might hold, It would be nice to have a rest from all those hours of waiting in the rain.
As I arrived in front of Buckingham Palace the balcony started to come into view.
It was at that moment that the reduced flyover came through. First were the helicopters and then the red arrows.
The shot I had hoped to get. The Royal Family lined up on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
After the flyover the King and Queen emerged again on their own to meet the crowds.
My favourite shot of the day. The Red Arrows stream over the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace. I wonder where the Queen Elizabeth II memorial will stand and what it will look like.
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