King Charles will allow Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis to stay with him the night before his coronation to ensure that Shabbat rules are observed as he is officially crowned.
The King, who has long viewed freedom of religion and religious diversity as a cornerstone of the role of monarch, is taking these steps to ensure that the Jewish faith is represented in his coronation.
Saturday is a holy day in the Orthodox Jewish faith, meaning that Chief Rabbi Mirvis cannot travel by car or attend the coronation set for 6 May. Chief Rabbi Mirvis is head of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth.
Instead, Chief Rabbi Mirvis will stay at Clarence House alongside his wife, making Westminster Abbey within walking distance so that he may attend the coronation service.
This follows a precedent set by King Edward VII in 1902, who invited the Chief Rabbi at the time to his coronation. In that case, the Chief Rabbi stayed at a nearby synagogue before attending the ceremony.
King Charles has been quick to ensure that Shabbat rules can be observed since he became monarch in September. A reception for religious leaders was held earlier one day so that Chief Rabbi Mirvis could attend shul before the Shabbat began.
At the time, Chief Rabbi Mirvis’s staff called this “an amazing gesture” by King Charles for his work to make sure the Orthodox Jewish community was represented.
King Charles has always been involved in celebrating the Jewish religion, noting in 2019 at a pre-Hannukah celebration at Buckingham Palace: “In my own small way, I have sought to recognize the contribution of the Jewish community by various means…I see this as the least I can do to try to repay, in some small way, the immense blessings the Jewish people have brought to this land and, indeed, to humanity.”
