King Charles III will follow the tradition of the thirty nine monarch crowned before him at Westminster Abbey and ensure that the most sacred part of the ceremony, the anointing, remains private.
As reported in The Mirror, The King has now changed his mind about an element of the anointing during his coronation. Earlier in the year, there had been reports that he was having a clear canopy constructed so that the world would be able to witness the sovereign being anointed at their coronation for the first time. However, His Majesty has decided that that will not happen.
Instead, he will follow the traditional method that his mother followed at her coronation and will not allow television cameras to broadcast his anointing.
The anointing is one of six elements of the coronation service. After the congregation recognises the sovereign and the sovereign takes their oath, the Archbishop of Canterbury then anoints the monarch.
The King will be wearing a plain anointing gown and will sit in the Coronation Chair. Four Knights of the Garter will then lift a gold canopy over His Majesty. The Archbishop will pour specially consecrated oil into the Coronation Spoon, the oldest surviving piece of the Crown Jewels, and will use that oil to make a cross on The King’s hands, heart, and forehead.
The Mirror shared a source that said, “The King takes his role and relationship (with God) extremely seriously and will continue with the anointing as it has been carried out before in full.”
After he is anointed, the investing, the crowning, and the homage will follow.
Since his accession in September, there have been many questions on what changes The King will make to the coronation service in order to modernise it. While he has made changes to the procession and to the guest list, he is holding onto many traditional elements of the service.
