Coronation of King Charles III The coronation of King Charles the third on Saturday marks an important date
in time. It will be the first coronation since 1953, and marks 70 years since the
coronation of his mother Elizabeth the Second.
The ceremony will commence at 11 am BST and should be complete by 1 pm.
That is 8 pm through to 10 PM down here. The best TV channel to watch it on
will probably be Channel 20, ABC High Definition and their coverage will start
at 6 Pm on Saturday.
During the King's Procession, the King and Queen consort will ride to the
Cathedral in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was created for Queen
Elizabeth II in 2012, to commemorate her 60th year as Queen.
This coach was designed and built by Australian craftsman Jim Frecklington.
The coach was made in Manly and is actually the second coach made there for
the Royal family, the other one being the Australian State Coach presented to
Queen Elizabeth II as an official gift from the Australian people to mark the
Australian bicentenary in 1988. That Australian built coach will also be in the
procession on Saturday.
To mark the Coronation in Australia
Significant buildings and monuments across Australia will be illuminated
in Royal Purple. A flag notice will be issued through the Commonwealth Flag Network to
encourage flying of the Australian Flag.
On Sunday 7 May 2023 at 3pm, a National 21 Gun Salute will be
conducted by Australia’s Federation Guard on the forecourt of
Parliament House in Canberra, and weather permitting, followed by a
flypast by the Royal Australian Air Force.
An official Australian portrait of the King will be announced shortly and
distributed through Federal MPs and Senators via the Nationhood Material
Program. In the interim, the Government has requested that portraits of Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II continue to be displayed.
Interestingly, The King has visited Australia 16 times. He has made 15 official
visits to Australia, in addition to studying at Geelong Grammar School in 1966.
His Majesty was the longest serving heir apparent in British history. He was the first British Royal heir to earn a degree – studying at Cambridge University
from 1967-1970.
Australia will be represented at the coronation by the Governor General, His
Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC. Footballer Sam Kerr
will also lead a contingent of prominent Australians as the official flag bearer
for the ceremony. The Matildas captain will lead a delegation that includes the
PM, state governors and a number of other representatives at the event at
Westminster Abbey including Nick Cave, comedian Adam Hills, artist Jasmine
Coe, Professor Meryn Voysey who helped develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca
vaccine and nurse Emily Regan who worked for the NHS during the pandemic.
Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Daniel Keighran and Cross of Valour recipient
Richard Joyes will also join the group.
A 40-strong contingent from Australia’s Federation Guard, the military’s
ceremonial unit, will march alongside counterparts from across the world in
the procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.
Finally, Australian Simon Abney-Hastings, who lives in Wangaratta, who is the
15th Earl of Loudoun, has a most important role during the coronation. The
Earls of Loudoun have been the bearers of the Golden Spurs at coronations of
monarchs dating back to King Richard I in 1189.
The spurs – which symbolise knighthood and denote the sovereign’s role as
head of the armed forces – are made of gold, leather and velvet, and each has
a diamond-encrusted ruby. They were traditionally attached to the new
monarch’s feet at coronation, but at recent coronations, the Great Golden
Spurs have just ceremoniously touched the heels of the monarch, and then
been placed on the altar.
Long live the King!!  |
