King Charles III will be crowned on May 6 next year in Westminster Abbey, the palace said

King Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a ceremony that will embrace the past but look to the modern world after 70 years of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

Tuesday’s announcement from Buckingham Palace comes amid speculation that the coronation will be shorter and less extravagant than the three-hour ceremony that installed Elizabeth in 1953, in line with Charles’ plans to reduce the size of the property. While the palace provided few details, British media reported that the guest list would be reduced to 2,000 from 8,000.

The palace said in a statement that Charles would be crowned at a solemn religious ceremony hosted by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Queen Camilla will be crowned alongside her husband.

“The coronation will reflect the king’s role today and look to the future, while being rooted in ancient traditions and joys,” the palace said.

Video below: Unveiled coin portrait of King Charles III

Charles will be anointed with sacred oil before receiving the orb, scepter, and coronation ring. Camilla will also be anointed with sacred oil and be crowned, as was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

The palace plans the coronation, known as Operation Golden Orb, as Charles and his heir Prince William seek to prove that the monarchy is still relevant in modern, multicultural Britain. While there was widespread respect for Elizabeth, as evidenced by the tens of thousands of people who waited for hours to come to the side of her coffin, there is no guarantee that the veneration would pass on to Charles.

Royal historian Robert Lacey, author of “Her Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor”, said organizers should shoot the nearly hour-long ceremony, in line with the Queen’s “very moving” funeral last month.

“One has to remember, too, that while all the reverence and solemnity of the Queen’s funeral was so focused on honoring her, the coronation is a tribute to an institution rather than a person, with whom a lot of thoughtful people in this country differ,” Lacey told the BBC.

Video below: The King and Prince greet mourners paying respect to Queen Elizabeth II

While most coronation ceremonies, which have not changed much in the past 1,000 years, are expected to remain the same, some of the more difficult decorations may be cut from the pomp and circumstance as Britain struggles with high inflation and the fallout from the war in Ukraine. Optics are important.

“The idea of ​​this grandiose coronation comes against the backdrop of a winter of austerity and a cost-of-living crisis, but also, I think, a sense of having thousands of notable foreign dignitaries flying on planes that consume oil and gasoline or whatever else,” said Anna Whitelock, professor of modern property history at City University London, to the BBC: “They’re too extravagant to crown an eco-loving monarch – all of these things can chime in very awkwardly.”

The ceremony is traditionally held a few months after the king ascended the throne, providing time to mourn his predecessor and organize the event. Charles is expected to sign a declaration formally announcing the date of the ceremony at a meeting of his top advisers, known as the Privy Council, later this year.