Good morning, Prep School family,
I hope you are well and had a lovely long Bank Holiday weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed my Monday morning lie in and an extra day to do something special. I took the opportunity to go over to Lincolnshire and visits my auntie and my cousins who I haven’t seen in months. It was a super day filled with lots of laughter, much reminiscing and plenty of eating and adult drinks! We spent time in the garden, relaxed and juts thoroughly enjoyed seeing each other again. The rest of the weekend was filled with babysitting duties, birthday celebrations (yes more of them), catching up with my nieces, walking and listening to Forest loose. . .again.
So this weekend we have a very special event happening – The Coronation of King Charles III. This is a once, maybe twice in a lifetime event for most of us. The last coronation was in 1953, when the late Queen Elizabeth was crowned. I remember my grandma telling me all about the street parties that took place, all of her neighbours on her street huddling around a tiny black and white TV that belonged to the family next door and the sheer happiness that came with the event. I sat and listened in awe and now I get to experience one myself. I am enthusiastic by this as we are living through a piece of history – witnessing an event that happens so rarely. I have to hold my hands up, however, as I know very little about a royal coronation and all of the details that are part of tradition. When Arthur and Amelie were asking me questions, I was very grateful that my dad was on hand to help me answer them. I don’t like not knowing information, so this weekend, I set about doing some research and I thought you might like to know what I found!
What is a Coronation?
The word coronation comes from the Latin word corona which means crown. A coronation is a grand ceremony that takes place when a new monarch is crowned and formally given their regal powers, duties and responsibilities. During a coronation ceremony, the monarch makes promises to God and to their people, they receive a sacred blessing known as anointing, and they are presented with royal ceremonial regalia, including the crown jewels.
What will happen on Coronation day?
The coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, 2023, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The service will combine traditional and modern elements, reflecting the role of the monarch today and in the future. Their Majesties (Charles and Camilla) will start the day with a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, known as “The King’s Procession.” After the coronation service, they will return to Buckingham Palace with a larger ceremonial procession called “The Coronation Procession,” joined by other members of the Royal Family – such as Prince William and his family. To conclude the day’s celebrations, the King and Queen Consort, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family, will appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. This promises to be a memorable day filled with tradition and pageantry!
What happens during a Coronation ceremony?
For almost a thousand years, the way English monarchs are crowned hasn’t changed much, although the objects used during the coronation may have been updated over time. Thee ceremony for the new King and Queen will be steeped in history and tradition, just like the coronation of monarchs before them. Based on Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, the coronation ceremony will have five main sections.
Beginning with the procession. The sovereign walks from the west end of Westminster Abbey to the Theatre, accompanied by verses from Psalm 122. The Archbishop of Canterbury then presents the Sovereign to the people, who respond with “God save the King/Queen!” The Sovereign then swears an oath or promise.
Next is the Communion service, during which the choir sings an ancient hymn. The Sovereign’s robe is removed, and they are seated in the Coronation Chair, which faces the altar. The Archbishop anoints the Sovereign with very special holy oil made up of oils from oranges, roses, cinnamon, and musk.
The Sovereign is then dressed in robes made of cloth and gold and presented with the coronation Regalia; the Orb, Sceptre, and Rod of the Dove. The St Edward’s Crown is then placed upon the King’s head to the sound of trumpet fanfare.
Once crowned, the Sovereign moves to the Throne in the main part of the Theatre, symbolising their taking possession of the kingdom. Camilla will then have her anointing and crowning.
Finally, there is a Holy Communion for the Sovereign. The new King will exchange St Edward’s Crown for the lighter Imperial State Crown and process through the Abbey wearing a purple velvet robe and holding the sceptre and orb (the sceptre represents the King’s authority over worldly affairs and the orb represents the monarch’s power and God’s granting of that power to the new King).
King Charles III’s role
The King’s role as head of state is symbolic and ceremonial. He has many duties and will carry out official engagements representing Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Did you know the King is King to 14 Commonwealth Realms in addition to the UK? The King is also the patron of many charities and he is especially interested in all things environmental and is a huge advocate for looking after and preserving our planet.
Another key part of the King’s role is to give speeches; for instance at the opening of parliament and the annual Christmas address.
Some fun facts!
The official dish of the coronation is a coronation quiche!
We get an extra day off school to celebrate this special occasion!
King Charles’ procession route is much shorter than Queen Elizabeth’s – it is just 1.3 miles long. Queen Elizabeth’s was over 5 miles and took over 2 hours to complete!
King Charles will sit in an old wooden chair called the Coronation Chair, which was made in 1300.
The special crown was named after St Edward the Confessor and it has been used to crown English and British monarchs since the 1300s.
A new version of this crown was made in 1661, because the old one got melted down during the Civil War.
The current crown is made of solid gold and has 244 precious stones on it!
Queen Camilla will wear Queen Mary’s crown which is made of silver and gold and has 2,200 diamonds on it.
The King has asked twelve special musicians to create new music for his special coronation at Westminster Abbey.
King Charles is having a much smaller coronation than Queen Elizabeth’s – she had 8251 guests, but Charles is only inviting 2000.
King Charles had a special coronation emblem designed. It was created by Sir Jony Ive, who used to work at Apple. The emblem has flowers from the four countries in the UK: the rose from England, the thistle from Scotland, the daffodil from Wales and the shamrock from Northern Ireland.
I hope you have learnt as much as I have!!
Quote of the week: “As humans beings, we suffer from an innate tendency to jump to conclusions, to judge people too quickly and to pronounce them heroes or failures without due consideration.” – King Charles III
Well-being tasks for this week: Meaningful May.
This month is all about us belonging to, and being part of, something bigger and all of the ways that we can connect with, and make a difference to, the world.
Tuesday 2 May – Focus on what you can do – don’t focus on what you cannot
Wednesday 3 May – Take a step towards an important goal, however small
Thursday 4 May – Send your friend a photo of a happy time you enjoyed together
Friday 5 May – Let someone know how much they mean to you and why
Saturday 6 May – Look for people doing good things in your community
Sunday 7 May – Make a list of what matters to you the most and why
Monday 8 May– Set yourself a kindness mission to help someone today
Jokes of the week: With a tenuous royal link in honour of the Coronation this weekend!
What’s a royal pardon?
What you say when a Queen burbs!
Why is England the wettest country?
The queen has reigned for years!
Where do kings and queens get crowned?
On their heads!
Who made King Arthur’s round table?
Sir-Cumference!
What has six legs, four ears and a suit of armour?
A king on horseback!
When is a piece of wood like a king?
When it’s the ruler!
Sleeps til Santa: 236 sleeps til Santa
5 things that I am grateful for or looking forward to this week:
Can you try this simple exercise in gratitude and positivity?
- I am looking forward to watching the King’s coronation on Saturday
- I am looking forward to seeing Michael Buble on Sunday night (I still need to tell you about my last meeting with him. . .)
- I am looking forward to our school Coronation celebrations on Friday
- I am grateful the sunshine this weekend
- I am grateful for my family
Enjoy the coronation if you are watching it – if not, have a wonderful weekend and have lots of fun!
Take care,
Mrs Bennett
