At the weekend we saw the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. This was the first such event that many of us will have ever seen, with the last Coronation taking place on 6 June 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.
Last year we mourned the sad death of our Queen. For many of us
she was the only monarch we had ever known. Her passing was one of the
most significant moments we have shared as a country and while it was a very
sombre time, it also saw people of all ages come together to celebrate her
unparalleled reign and life.
The Coronation on Saturday saw the nation unite once more, along with people
from across the world, to mark this historic day. Present at the Coronation
were representatives of the Houses of Parliament, Church and State. Prime
ministers and leading citizens from the Commonwealth and representatives of
other countries also attended.
I had the huge privilege of being invited to be a
part of the Coronation of King Charles from outside the Palace of Westminster.
For the last 900 years, the ceremony has taken
place at Westminster Abbey in London and is conducted by the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
The Coronation of a new Sovereign takes place in
the months after their accession, following a period of mourning. In a similar
but simpler ceremony, Queen Camilla was also crowned alongside His Majesty The
King as part of the service.
During the ceremony, the Sovereign takes the
coronation oath. The form and wording have varied over the centuries. For
example, Queen Elizabeth II undertook to rule according to law, to exercise
justice with mercy - promises symbolised by the four swords in the coronation
regalia (the Crown Jewels) - and to maintain the Church of England.
Following the oath the Sovereign is then 'anointed,
blessed and consecrated' by the Archbishop, whilst the Sovereign is seated in
King Edward's chair, which was made in 1300, and has been used by every
Sovereign since 1626.
After receiving the orb and sceptres, the
Archbishop places St Edward's Crown on the Sovereign's head.
While the Coronation centred around a solemn
religious ceremony and has remained largely unchanged for more than a thousand
years, this was also an event full of firsts. One of those was the first Homage
of the People where members of the public were invited to pledge their
allegiance to the King, or swear an oath, which replaced the traditional Homage
of Peers.
I appreciate that some people do not believe we
should retain our Monarchy and question whether its traditions have a place in
our modern society. However, I believe the Coronation was a fantastic event,
uniting the country once again and providing continuity, which I was glad to
see after the turbulent and difficult times we have faced over the last year or
so.
We in Cornwall have, of course,
a strong connection to King Charles. Having been our Duke for many years, we
have become used to him visiting regularly. Last week the King came to visit
Parliament and I had the honour to have a few minutes to talk with him, for the
first time since he became our Monarch. There is no doubt he retains a real
interest in Cornwall and I look forward to him visiting as King in the
future.
Following the Coronation, on Sunday a spectacular
Coronation Concert was performed at Windsor Castle with iconic locations across
the UK lit up using projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations.
And on Monday a special Bank Holiday was proclaimed
by the Prime Minister in honour of the Coronation, which gave everyone the
opportunity to join in with their communities and good causes through Big Help
Out activities and was great to see.
Events over the past year to mark both our late
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and then with great sadness, her funeral,
show that no one does the pomp and pageantry of these events like Great
Britain.
I hope you were all able to take some time to
witness, or take part in, these historic events and celebrations locally or
around the country over the long weekend.
As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter,
my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance –
tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk
