History of Coronations | Coronation of Charles III and Camilla | What Happened at the Coronation

From History Calling

As the coronation of King Charles III recedes in time, let’s take a look back at how this ancient ceremony has played out in England and Scotland over the past thousand years and ask why coronations are important, what happened at the coronation and conversely, what didn't happen at the coronation? This video from History Calling will look at the purpose of coronations, historically and in modern times and at all the constituent parts of the ceremony, from the procession to Westminster Abbey and within it, the recognition, the coronation oath (and how it has changed over the years), the anointing with holy oil and the actual moment of crowing in St Edward’s Chair, commonly called the coronation chair using St Edward’s Crown and sitting atop the Scottish Stone of Scone aka, the Stone of Destiny. We’ll also look at how a Queen consort is crowned, the practice of paying homage to the new monarch, the procession back to the Buckingham Palace, the appearance on Buckingham Palace’s balcony (which is quite a new innovation) and the other events held on or around coronation day. In the past, these would have included a coronation banquet, but that practice was discontinued in the 1800s for reasons which I’ll explain. Now we have things like coronation tours, coronation concerts and coronation broadcasts. So sit back and relax, as I take you through everything you need to know about why and how a monarch is crowned. I’ll also discuss some specific past events, including the coronation of William IV, the coronation of Queen Victoria, the coronation of George V, the coronation of George VI and the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.