Who’s Attending, Who’s Performing And Just How Big Is That Crown?

Topline

King Charles will be crowned on May 6 in the United Kingdom’s highly traditional coronation ceremony—the first in 70 years and the first to take place in the age of the internet, much less social media—though some important questions remain unanswered, like whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend.

Key Facts

Big Number

$4 billion. That’s how much the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors estimated the Crown Jewels were worth in 2019, using the sale of the French Crown Jewels in 1887 and the sale of the late Princess Margaret’s jewelry in 2006 as a comparison. The jewels, which are considered priceless and difficult to value as they would not be sold on the open market, consist of more than 100 objects and 23,000 gemstones and have been protected in the Tower of London since the 1660s. Included in the Crown Jewels is the Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever found at 3,106 metric carats, which has been cut into several pieces and incorporated into the coronation regalia and other items. Cullinan I is used in the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross, weighing 530.2 carats, and Cullinan II is used in the Imperial State Crown, weighing 317.4 carats.

Key Background

The coronation is a traditional religious ceremony in the United Kingdom in which a monarch is physically crowned and formally sworn in as the head of the Church of England. The coronation is performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. During the ceremony, the monarch being sworn in is presented to attendees at Westminster Abbey, who say in unison: “God Save the King (or Queen).” The monarch swears an oath to uphold both the law and the Church of England, and the Archbishop anoints the monarch with holy oil. Though the recipe of the oil is secret, it is known to contain ambergris, orange flowers, roses, jasmine and cinnamon, and for Charles, the oil will be animal cruelty free. The monarch is presented with royal objects, including the Sovereign’s Orb, a golden globe mounted with a cross, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, rose-cut diamonds and a row of pearls, which represents religious and moral authority. The monarch is also presented with the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross, a golden rod featuring the 530.2-carat Cullinan I diamond, as well as additional diamonds, emeralds, rubies and an amethyst monde. The Sovereign’s Scepter with Dove, which represents justice and mercy, is also a gold rod, embedded with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, mounted with a dove with spread wings. The monarch is crowned with St. Edward’s Crown, the archbishop delivers a prayer and the monarch sits on the throne. The coronation process has remained largely unchanged for more than 1,000 years. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation was the first to be televised and was watched by 27 million viewers in the United Kingdom and millions more worldwide.

What We Don’t Know

Whether Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children will show. They were invited to the coronation, though it is not yet known whether they will attend. British tabloids have reported certain demands Harry and Meghan have, including armed police protection, a face-to-face summit with Charles to discuss family issues, a position on the Buckingham Palace balcony and an acknowledgement of son Archie’s birthday, which is also May 6. The ceremony comes just four months after the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare, in which he details how he pleaded with his father, Charles, to not marry Camilla after the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Harry famously stepped back from his royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California with his family. He traveled to the United Kingdom in March to appear in court in support of his privacy violation lawsuit against the Daily Mail publisher, but he reportedly did not meet with Charles while in the country.

Surprising Fact

The Royal Family’s Twitter account unveiled the coronation invitations on April 5—and many were quick to notice it refers to Camilla as “Queen Camilla,” not queen consort, as she has been known. The “consort” title designates a spouse of a monarch who does not have the same political or military powers. A royal source told CNN “queen consort” was initially used in the months following Elizabeth II’s death to distinguish the late queen from Camilla. Royal historian Marlene Koenig told NPR she wasn’t surprised the invitation simply used “queen,” noting that past queen consorts were often simply referred to as “queen” in royal affairs and news reports. Nicoletta Gullace, associate professor of British history at the University of New Hampshire, told NPR she was surprised “consort” was dropped because that was how Elizabeth II indicated she wanted Camilla to be addressed, though she said removing “consort” may be an effort to make Camilla more legitimate in the eyes of the British public following her affair with Charles while he was married to Diana, which still lingers in the public memory.

Tangent

The U.K. government foots the bill for coronation ceremonies, which can cost millions of dollars. Elizabeth II’s coronation cost about £1.57 million, or £46 million today, which equals about $57 million. The cost of the upcoming coronation is not yet known, and the British government told The Washington Post information will be released at a later date. BBC reported the potentially high cost will likely spark criticism amid the ongoing inflation and rising cost of living in the United Kingdom.

Further Reading

King Charles’s coronation: 2 carriages, 5 swords and a crown emoji (The Washington Post)

King Charles: When is the coronation and is there a bank holiday? (BBC News)

The royals dropped ‘consort’ from Queen Camilla’s title. What’s the big deal? (NPR)