Carlos III will reuse his grandfather’s toga and will be anointed with vegan oil

In general terms, for almost 200 years, this medieval ritual has hardly changed, but each coronation has tried to adapt to the times. And that is precisely the great challenge that the current monarchwho will be enthroned neither more nor less than at 74 yearshas ahead: respect the tradition and add a touch of modernity to a centuries-old rite that seems not to fit in this century.

All this has to be achieved at a delicate social, political and economic moment. The United Kingdom has been facing for months a deep cost of living crisis. In addition, the monarchy’s popularity ratings are at all-time lows. Given this context, it is not surprising that Carlos III decided to reduce the pomp and ostentation that characterized the coronation of his mother in 1953 and that of all his predecessors.

[TikTok salve al rey’, una coronación medieval en el siglo XXI]

A shorter and smaller ceremony

The first sign of austerity is that there will be 2,000 guests instead of 8,250 who attended the previous coronation. In addition, the King has decided to break one of the oldest traditions of the British monarchy which dictates that no foreign royal can attend the coronation because it is understood that It is a sacred act between the sovereign and the people. On this occasion, Buckingham Palace has invited kings such as Felipe VI and Letizia, Guillermo Alejandro and Máxima, from the Netherlands, or Abdullah II and Rania from Jordan.

The religious service, which consists of six phases in which the sovereign is anointed, blessed, consecrated and invested with the crown jewels, will be the same. However, if with Isabel II this lasted almost four hours, that of Carlos III will not last more than two hours.

[La coronación de Carlos III, minuto a minuto: todos los actos, recorridos y horarios]

The monarch has taken advantage of the most sacred and secret moment of the ceremony -the anointing- to show off its environmental spirit. And it is that during the service he will be anointed with a chrism oil that for the first time in history will not include any ingredient from animals, but will be 100% vegetable. The oil has been expressly produced for the coronation from olives collected in two olive groves on the Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem.

Another of the modifications that Carlos III has incorporated seems to be the dress code, since he will not dress like his grandfather -with white silk stockings and breeches-, but will wear a military uniform. What he won’t change is the velvet and ermine toga, known as the state tunic, which will be displayed by the Kings and which will be personalized. Specific, Carlos III will wear the same tunic that her grandfather, King George VI, already wore at his coronation in 1975. For her part, Camilla will wear the one that was made for the first time for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

two golden chariots

One of the great and most showy changes that Carlos III has applied for his coronation is the way in which he and Camila -who will be crowned as queen and not as queen consort- will move during the day. There will be two great processions: the one known as ‘The King’s Procession’ and that goes from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, and another that is known as ‘The Coronation Procession’and that goes back to the palace.

Traditionally, in the two processions the historical Gold State Carriage (Gold State Coach), dating from the 18th century. However, Carlos, in a fit of modernity, will only use this vehicle in the return procession. On the way out he will use the newest of the royal carriages: the Diamond Jubilee State Carriage (Diamond Jubilee State Coach), which -as its name indicates- commemorates the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II which was celebrated in 2012 when she turned 60 as monarch.

The Royal Family has not given explanations as to why it has decided to opt for two vehicles. However, it may have something to do with what Elizabeth II said in an interview with the BBC in 2018 that her coronation procession in that carriage was hell because the carriage was “uncomfortable”. It is said that even the first king to use it, William IV, crowned in 1831, compared the trip in that car to being on a ship “in rough seas”.