Coronation day: Britain's King Charles III set to be crowned in London

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – In a historic event, the UK is about the witness the first coronation of a monarch in nearly 70 years, with King Charles III to be crowned on Saturday morning at Westminster Abbey in London.

Charles, 74, ascended the throne on Sept. 8, 2022, following the death of his long-serving mother Queen Elizabeth II. He will be crowned along with Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey, the site of coronations in Britain since 1066 – nearly a millennium.

Following a procession from Buckingham Palace to the church, Charles will receive his crown in the coronation service, expected to begin at 11 a.m. local time (1000GMT).

He will wear St. Edward's Crown, made of 2.2 kilograms (about 4.9 pounds) of solid gold, while Queen Camilla will wear a modified version of the Crown of Queen Mary, fashioned in 1911.

After his coronation, conducted by the archbishop of Canterbury, senior bishop of the Church of England, Charles will be the 40th monarch to take the traditional Oath of Faithful Service.

Military personnel from the UK's Armed Forces, numbering 6,000, will be on duty during the coronation, along with roughly 400 from at least 35 Commonwealth countries.

In taking the crown, Charles also became head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent countries and 2.5 billion people. For 14 of these countries, as well as the UK, the king is head of state.

These countries, known as the Commonwealth realms, are Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.

Along with millions of citizens taking to the streets to witness the spectacle, more than 2,200 people, includes members of the foyal family, representatives from 203 countries, and some 100 heads of state, will also be at the event.

Attendees are expected to include Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, former British premiers, first ministers of devolved national governments, members of foreign royal families, a US delegation led by first lady Jill Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Irish President Michael Higgins, Türkiye's Vice President Fuat Oktay, and dozens of other distinguished foreign representatives.