King Charles III's coronation will take place at London's Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023, the same date as his youngest grandson's birthday, it has been announced.
Buckingham Palace released details of the new monarch's coronation as speculation in Britain has grown as to whether it will take the form of a reduced ceremony, compared with the one for Queen Elizabeth II held seven decades ago in 1953.
"Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce that the Coronation of His Majesty the King will take place on Saturday 6th May, 2023," the statement read. "The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury."
The palace also confirmed that Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles' wife of 17 years, will be "crowned" as the queen consort during the service.
As for concessions or adaptations to the ancient ceremony, which has been altered in a minor way from the form followed by the latter Anglo-Saxon kings, a line of context has been included in the coronation announcement. "The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today," it stated, "and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry."
One detail that is likely to provoke some criticism is the decision to hold the event on what will be Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor's, fourth birthday.
As members of the royal family, Harry (the son of the monarch being crowned) and Meghan are expected to attend the coronation, although their children may be too young to go with them.
In 1953, the 2-year-old Princess Anne was left behind at Buckingham Palace during her mother's coronation, and 4-year-old Charles attended the Westminster Abbey ceremony for only a brief section. This was done, in part, because the queen's coronation lasted nearly three hours. King Charles' ceremony is expected to be shorter.
Charles' relationship with his youngest grandchildren has been closely analyzed since Harry and Meghan's move in 2020 to the U.S., where they have chosen to raise their family and where their daughter was born.
In June, Charles met his granddaughter Lilibet, Harry and Meghan's daughter, for the first time in person during the queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Until that event, he reportedly had not seen Archie in person since the winter of 2019, when Harry and Meghan spent the holidays in Canada before negotiating their exit from royal life.
A key matter that has opened Charles up to criticism since becoming king is his apparent delay in announcing whether Harry and Meghan's children will be made prince and princess.
In accordance with a convention started by King George V, who died in 1936, the grandchildren of the monarch through the male line are entitled to bear the titles of HRH (his/her royal highness) and prince or princess of the United Kingdom.
When Archie was born in 2019, he was known as Master Archie because at the time he was the great-grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. Now that Charles is king, Archie is now the grandson of the monarch and eligible for the prince title.
In her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan discussed the fact that Archie was not made a prince from birth. She cited the royal convention but also said that in conversations about the decision the potential color of his skin was raised by an unnamed member of the royal family.
Asked by Winfrey if she believed one of the reasons Archie was not made a prince was his race, Meghan responded: "I can give you an honest answer. In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time...we have in tandem the conversation of 'he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title,' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."
Since the broadcast of that interview, the monarchy's response to allegations of racism was closely watched. Following the interview, Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of the queen.
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning," it said in part. "While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members."
King Charles reiterated this sentiment about his son and daughter-in-law in his first address to the nation as monarch. Speaking from Buckingham Palace the day after Queen Elizabeth's death, he said, "I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas."
It's not known if the new king will decide to give his grandchildren titles in line with those already held by their cousins, the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Who exactly will be in attendance at the coronation ceremony has not yet been disclosed. Buckingham Palace said that "further details will be announced in due course."
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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