King Charles's coronation plans—codenamed “Operation Golden Orb"—have been revisited regularly for years.
Queen Elizabeth II is dead at the age of 96, and has been succeeded to the throne by her 73-year-old son, Charles.
Charles became king the instant his mother passed away, and announced that his regnal name would be Charles III.
But what happens now?
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King Charles’ coronation ceremony might not take place for several months. This is because the royal family is now in a period of mourning following the queen’s death.
The queen didn’t have her own coronation until June 2, 1953, more than a year after she became queen after her father King George VI died on February 6, 1952.
According to the Daily Mail plans for Charles’ coronation are codenamed “Operation Golden Orb.”
Back in February it was reported that Charles would prefer a more streamlined coronation service than the lavish spectacle that surrounded his mother’s crowning.
A relatively shorter, cheaper coronation would be more in keeping with an escalating cost-of-living crisis in the UK, with many citizens expected to have to choose between food and heating this winter.
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While the details about Operation Golden Orb have yet to be relieved, the ceremony will probably take place at Westminster Abbey and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Charles will take an oath in front of 2,000 people in the abbey (and countless millions watching on TV worldwide) and will be anointed.
The actual anointing bit is supposed to be sacred and mysterious, and for the queen’s anointing in 1953 a golden canopy was lifted by four Knights of the Garter to shield her consecration from the cameras.
Using an Ampulla—a sold gold flask in the shape of an eagle—the archbishop anointed the queen with a “blessed oil" of orange, roses, cinnamon, musk and ambergris.
This was the moment in which the queen was seen to be consecrated by god to rule over her people.
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Yes, Camilla will be crowned queen alongside Charles. Her official title is queen consort.
As a male consort the queen’s husband Prince Philip was not entitled to be crowned. Instead he knelt before his wife during her coronation ceremony and pledged to be her “liege man of life and limb.”
Town&Country says that no matter how much King Charles desires a slimmed down coronation, the role of jewels in the ceremony isn’t optional.
At the climax of the ceremony he will be crowned with the St Edward’s Crown, a solid gold headpiece featuring 444 gemstones.
The precious stones embedded in the crown include 345 rose-cut aquamarines, 37 white topazes, 27 tourmalines, 12 rubies, 7 amethysts, 6 sapphires, and 1 garnet. It weighs 4.9 lbs.
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In addition, Charles will hold a sceptre with a controversial past—it’s set with part of what was once the world’s largest diamond, the ‘Star of Africa.’ Other pieces of the diamond are set in the Imperial State Crown.
The diamond was mined in South Africa in 1905. In recent times there have been calls for its return to the county where it was found.
Charles will also hold the royal orb, a “Christian symbol of authority from the Middle Ages and a reminder that the monarch’s power is derived from God,” according to T&C.
When Charles returns to Buckingham Palace following his coronation at Westminster Abbey, he will wave to the assembled crowd from the palace balcony. At this point he’ll be wearing the aforementioned Imperial State Crown. It’s set with the famous Black Prince Ruby (actually a spinel from Sri Lanka) and a 104-carat sapphire.
Related: Queen Elizabeth Beams Wearing Black Prince Ruby
Meanwhile it’s been reported that Camilla will wear the Queen Mother’s Koh-i-Noor crown, another headpiece steeped in controversy.
Its 105.6 carat diamond, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, came into Queen Victoria’s possession in 1851 during British colonial rule in India. It was surrendered to the monarch by the Maharajah of Lahore.
There are calls for its return to India.
Charles has already left Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where the queen died yesterday, and is en route to London with his wife, Queen Consort Camilla.
He is expected to address the British public this evening and during the 10-day period of mourning from now until the queen’s funeral on Sept. 16 he will travel throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland doing walkabouts amid his subjects and attending various church services.
Before he commences on this tour he will attend an accession council at St James’s Palace, at which an official proclamation will be made. The accession council will convene on Saturday morning.
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