On May 6, 2023, Charles (lll) Mountbatten-Windsor was crowned King of the United Kingdom at London’s Westminster Abbey. Shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth ll in September 2022, her son Charles was granted as the newest reigning monarch of England. 

Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles lll’s wife, was also crowned queen at the ceremony. Originally meant to be named the queen consort, Charles ordered for her title to be officially changed to Queen Camilla. 

The streets of London were buzzing with excitement to watch the coronation, including celebrities such as Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Maggie Smith, and Jill Biden. Since he wasn’t able to attend the event, Joe Biden, The President of the United States, wrote on Twitter congratulating the royals.

“Congratulations to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their Coronation. The enduring friendship between the U.S. and the U.K. is a source of strength for both our peoples. I am proud the First Lady is representing the United States for this historic occasion,” said Biden.

While Charles lll and Camilla were waiting to be crowned as the reigning royals, many photographers captured the pair’s coronation outfits. Both monarchs followed the traditional British royal attire and wore intricate and effective clothing. The soon to be king wore the crimson velvet Robe of State, and later wore a shining, gold cloak. The Robe of State was previously worn by King George VI for his own coronation in 1937. Underneath the robe, Charles lll wore a crimson tunic, navy trousers, and a silk overshirt. 

Camilla wore a seemingly similar crimson robe, the one primitively made for the late Queen Elizabeth ll at her own coronation. Beneath the robe, the queen wore a white dress with golden details, made by the British designer Bruce Oldfield.

The moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived when the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby set St. Edward’s Crown atop King Charles lll’s head. The coronation was the only time that Charles will be wearing this certain crown, due to it being kept to be put on the next monarch to reign. After Charles was crowned, Welby recited the words, “God save the King”, and the crowd followed with the same response. 

Quickly after crowning, the crown of Queen Mary (the queen consort in 1911), was placed upon Camilla’s head.

After the ceremony, the king and queen of the United Kingdom stepped out onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace, their new home. The royal couple, their family, and thousands of people experienced a flyover by the Royal Air Force’s aerobatics team also known as the Red Arrows, which led to the team leaving red, white, and blue lines in the sky, representing the colors of the United Kingdom’s flag.

While the coronation was quite an exciting day for the United Kingdom, it couldn’t help but contain a slight amount of drama. The king’s youngest son, Prince Harry (Duke of Sussex), attended the royal coronation ceremony alone, sans his wife Meghan Markle (Duchess of Sussex) and his two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor. 

Prince Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as senior royals (but not dropping their titles) in early 2020. They decided to step down from their roles in the royal family, moving to California to raise their children and live calmer and more comfortable lives as regular humans. 

Although it was a kind gesture to attend his father’s coronation, Prince Harry did not participate in some of the royal activities after the coronation due to him being a non-working member of the royal family. This excluded him from standing and waving on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, sitting with the royal family at the coronation, or even attending the private lunch after all of the events occurred.

There may be some controversy surrounding the royal family, but as of now they are living their lives similar to the way they did before the coronation. As King Charles lll and Queen Camilla enter their new era as the rulers of the United Kingdom, people all over the world are excited to see what is in store for their sovereign state.