The United Kingdom crowns King Charles III: "I come to serve, not to be served"

The United Kingdom officially crowned King Charles III. Westminster Abbey was filled with royals, heads of state and representatives from all over the world who attended, from 11 a.m. British time (6 a.m. EST), one of the most important events of the British monarchy and of the leader of the Commonwealth.

The 2,200 guests began to arrive, as tradition dictates, two hours earlier at the abbey. Faces such as First Lady Jill Biden; British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak; former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; the King and Queen of Spain, Felipe and Letizia; and actress Emma Thompson were some of the lucky ones who were able to see the coronation of Charles III and his Queen consort, Camilla. His son Harry also attended, who was seated next to another of the black sheep of the family, Prince Andrew, the monarch's brother.

The couple left Buckingham Palace at 11:20 a.m. local time, right on schedule, and walked for 40 minutes through the streets of London that separate the palace from the abbey. They did so in the Jubilee carriage, one of the gifts his mother, Elizabeth II, received during the celebration of her 60th year as monarch of the United Kingdom. At 11:50 a.m., they arrived at the abbey and by noon, both were entering the church.

Coronation ceremony of Charles III begins

At 12:10 p.m. came the moment when all the guests proclaimed the traditional "God Save the King." After this it was time for the five acts of the coronation to begin. At 12:15 p.m., Charles III took his oath before the Bible. He did so with a phrase, the same one that marked his mother's reign: "I come to serve, not to be served." Right after that came the first of the hymns, and then the king said the following prayer:

After 12:30 p.m., the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced the reason they were gathered there:"We are here to crown a king." This was followed at 12:45 p.m. by one of the most private acts of the coronation. One that, in fact, no one could see by hiding the monarch with a screen: the anointment.

The coronation of Charles III

After this came the moment for which they were truly gathered there: the coronation. Charles III received his crown after 1 p.m. just after the monarch was dressed with his traditional tunic and presented with the Imperial Orb, the Royal Ring, the White Glove and the Royal and Mercy Scepters.

All this happened under the watchful eye of his son, William, who was present at his father's side during the whole event and who put the robe on the new king. The coronation ceremony concluded with "God Save the King," led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and a new hymn celebrating that the United Kingdom officially crowned its monarch.

The coronation was not only performed with the Catholic rite. Just after that it was time for the other religions of the United Kingdom to take part in the event. Thus, the Anglican Archbishop of York, the Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain, the Moderator of the Free Churches of Scotland, the General Secretary of the Free Churches of England, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and the Archbishop of Canterbury gave the ecumenical blessing to King Charles III.

Shortly before 1:10 p.m., the king sat on the throne for all to pay homage. This act took place at the same time as the rest of London proclaimed “God Save the King.” At least, that was what was expected of them.

#NotMyKing

Among the crowds on the streets of London were groups of attendees dressed in yellow and displaying banners reading "Not My King." British police arrested seven of these people for "disturbing the peace" during the procession, according to local reports. Among them was the leader of the anti-monarchist group Republic.

Republic members claim that they were collecting drinks and banners and walking behind a van when they were approached by officers. These activists had been organizing demonstrations across the country for weeks, with the intention of taking advantage of the fact that the eyes of the world are on the United Kingdom this Saturday.

The “green king” under criticism from environmental associations

Another group that tried to capitalize on the media attention of the event was the environmental group Just Stop Oil. It seems that the "green king's" reputation as a defender of the environment did not appease the group, which, among other actions, pasted its logo on public bicycles.

The organization also claimed that approximately 20 of its members have been detained for, they claim, only holding banners.

London's Metropolitan Police confirmed via its Twitter feed that it made several arrests in the city during the event. Among the grounds for arrest cited by the officers were “conspiracy to cause public nuisance” and “suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage.”