King Charles III, the new British monarch, has taken his Coronation oath. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, he arrived at Westminster Abbey to the choral music of the Choir of Westminster Abbey for today’s ceremony.
The coronation anthem, written by Hubert Parry for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902, has been sung at all coronations since then. The music performance was augmented by the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace, choristers from Methodist College, Belfast, the Choir of Truro Cathedral, and an octet from the Monteverdi Choir.
Parry incorporated a set of “vivats” – traditional Latin acclamations for the new monarch – into his piece, which must be rewritten for each coronation. Today, we heard the King’s Scholars of the prestigious Westminster School in London singing “Vivat Regina Camilla! Vivat Rex Carolus!” (Long live Queen Camilla! Long live King Charles!).
As King Charles neared Westminster Abbey, several senior members of the royal family entered the venue. His siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Prince Andrew, had all taken their seats.
Earlier, Queen Camilla’s family, including her former husband Andrew Parker-Bowles and her daughter Laura Lopes and son Tom Parker-Bowles, arrived at the Abbey.
In a slight deviation from tradition, the couple processed to the ceremony in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach drawn by six Windsor Grey horses. They were accompanied on the 1.3-mile route by four divisions of the sovereign’s most trusted bodyguards, the Household Cavalry. Each division consisted of 24 horses with two divisions of the Blues and Royals at the front and two divisions of the Life Guards following. The procession was led by the Household Cavalry Mounted Band – that’s 48 horses and musicians who played eight marches as they traveled the route.
Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/05/king-charles-iii-takes-coronation-oath/
