King Charles III’s Coronation: Embrace Britain’s Inclusivity?

Written by Nisrina Putri

The coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms was held on 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey — more than eight months after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. According to Dalton (2023) in The Independent, the coronation was the most diverse in the 1,000-year history of the ceremony, with a guest list that embodied the King’s determination to modernise the monarchy and reflect a multicultural Britain. The organisers sought to make the ceremony more representative of modern Britain by involving people from other religions and more diverse backgrounds (Hollingworth, 2023).

The King has long aimed to showcase and celebrate Britain’s diversity and ensured that representatives of different faiths participated at his coronation. For the first time, representatives of the country’s religious communities played an active role at the British coronation. Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus joined senior figures from the Jewish faith for the presentation of the coronation regalia (Dalton, 2023). During the service, four nobles from the House of Lords presented objects of the royal regalia to Charles. Lord Narendra Babubhai Patel, a Hindu, presented the Sovereign’s Ring to the King; Lord Indrajit Singh, a 90-year-old Sikh nobleman, presented Charles with his coronation gauntlets; Lord Syed Kamall, a Muslim of Indo-Guyanese heritage, handed over the Armills (bracelets); and Baroness Gillian Merron, a Jew, carried the Robe Royal to the King. At the end of the ceremony, the King received a “spoken greeting in unison” rather than a prayer from religious leaders of other faiths (Momin, 2023).

In addition to religious leaders in attendance, several prominent black citizens also played an important role in the ceremony. Britain’s most decorated nurse, Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, and Baroness Valerie Amos, the first black female cabinet minister, played prominent roles at the monastery’s ceremony. Liberal Democrat peer and former children’s television presenter Baroness Floella Benjamin, who carried the Sceptre with the Dove to the altar, praised the King for sending a “clear message” in favour of diversity (Dalton, 2023).

The ceremony also witnessed the participation of a higher number of women in the coronation event since Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953. Many of the stars of the ceremony were women who took on positions previously held only by men in crowning rituals (Henni, 2023). Penny Mordaunt, as Lord President of the Privy Council, was responsible for carrying the Sword of State. Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally was the first female bishop to participate in a coronation service for a British monarch. Amy Taylor, a Royal Navy Petty Officer, became history’s first woman to carry the Sword of Offering.

The fact that prominent individuals from many cultural backgrounds took part in the ceremony shows that the King has emphasised diversity and inclusivity as key elements of the coronation. The diverse coronation reflects King Charles’s endeavour to demonstrate that the millennium-old monarchy is still significant in a much more diverse country in modern times. The level of symbolism demonstrates his benevolence and positive intention, but the true test will be his ability to sustain it in the coming years.

References

Dalton, J. (2023, May 6). How diverse coronation reflected King’s bid to modernise monarchy. The Independent. Retrieved May 11, 2023, from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/coronation-king-diversity-black-monarchy-b2334053.html

Henni, J. (2023, May 8). King Charles’ Coronation: Meet the 3 Women Who Made History at Westminster Abbey (Exclusive). People. Retrieved May 14, 2023, from https://people.com/royals/king-charles-coronation-women-made-history-westminster-abbey-exclusive/

Hollingworth, W. (2023, May 7). Britain’s coronation ceremony evolves to take account of diversity. The Japan Times. Retrieved May 11, 2023, from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/05/07/world/king-charles-ii-coronation-diversity/

Momin, S. (2023, May 6). King Charles coronation to break tradition, embrace Britain’s multi-faith inclusivity. The Federal News. Retrieved May 11, 2023, from https://thefederal.com/exclusive/king-charles-coronation-to-break-tradition-embrace-britains-multi-faith-inclusivity/