A historical moment and out of time but adapted to the current era. Charles III will be crowned king on Saturday, May 6 during a thousand-year-old religious ceremony, full of traditions, symbols, and rituals. But at a time when the United Kingdom is suffering from unprecedented inflation, Buckingham Palace promises it: costs have been revised downwards and the ceremony modernized.

The coronation ceremony of Charles III will thus resemble the one that crowned Elizabeth II 70 years ago. The day will begin with the "King's Procession" which will reach Westminster Abbey by carriage from Buckingham Palace on a route of about two kilometers. Once inside the abbey – which has hosted coronations since 1066 – the sovereign will sit in King Edward's chair and on the "Stone of Destiny", an ancient and sacred symbol of the Scottish monarchy. He will then receive the anointing of oil from the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, which will be poured on him with a spoon dating from 1349.

He will wear the same enormous robes used for the coronation of his grandfather George VI and will receive the royal attributes: the orb – a gold globe topped with a cross, a seventeenth-century gold scepter and the crown of St. Edward that will be placed on his head.

"On the surface, the ceremony will be very mysterious. It might even seem strange to many people around the world. But what will seem strange to some will be mesmerizing to others," said Luke Blaxill, senior lecturer in British political and constitutional history at Oxford University.

A "streamlined and streamlined" event

But behind these rituals of another age, the ceremony will also be marked by a touch of modernity. First, because it will be more inclusive than previous consecrations: for the first time, women bishops will participate in the coronation. Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist religious leaders will also take part in the festivities and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a Hindu, will read a passage from the Bible. Another first in the field: the various texts will be read in English but also in Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic.

"The ceremony will also be streamlined and streamlined," says Ed Owens, a historian of the British royal family. "The new monarch really wanted to focus on democratizing the ritual."

The guest list has been revised downwards: about 2,300 handpicked guests – foreign leaders, crowned heads, elected officials, representatives of civil society – will be present. That's far fewer than the 8,000 people present at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. The service will also be shorter: it will last one hour compared to nearly three hours 70 years ago. Heads of state were also encouraged to pay attention to their carbon footprint when travelling to the event and to favour commercial flights over private jets.

Sobriety, again: almost all the clothes the king will wear on Saturday will be pieces borrowed from previous monarchs. A "personal" choice, assured a spokesman for Buckingham Palace.

Finally, like himself and his image as an "green" monarch, Charles III wanted to honor his passion for nature and his commitment to the defense of the environment. This was evident as soon as the invitation sent was published. It shows the "Green Man", an ancient figure of British folklore symbol of the arrival of spring and rebirth, a crown made of oak leaves and hawthorn, and many flowers.

See also Coronation of Charles III: an ecological king but not too much

A crowning achievement in the midst of a purchasing power crisis

But despite these stated efforts at sobriety, the pomp of the coronation has attracted sharp criticism in the United Kingdom at a time when the country is facing galloping inflation and a crisis of purchasing power.

"The enthusiasm for royal ceremonies with great fanfare is quite limited, even in the United Kingdom, especially in this context of the cost of living crisis," said Luke Blaxil. "The desire to make an event more modest than expected is certainly a deliberate attempt to reflect this complicated climate."

The cost of the event has not been revealed but it has been estimated by the press at between 50 and 100 million pounds sterling (57 and 114 million euros), plus security costs. Expenses that do not pass to a part of the population, especially since it will largely be the responsibility of taxpayers to pay. For comparison, the coronation of Elizabeth II, 70 years ago, cost the equivalent of 47 million pounds sterling (50 million euros).

"£250 million is going to be spent that day. I spend 26 cents on my lunch today," Delany Gordon, 50, told AFP, citing a figure quoted by tabloid The Mirror. "They have money, why is he taking mine?" he added, judging "shocking" and "crazy" that taxpayers have to put their hands in their pockets.

"Beyond this cost of living crisis, the coronation is supposed to be an event of national unity, which builds the self-confidence of the British. But for seven years, Britain has been in a difficult period," abounds Ed Owens, as the country emerges from several years of crisis marked by Brexit, the succession of Prime Ministers and the death of Elizabeth II, often perceived as a "cement of the nation". "Today, the prevailing climate is nothing like the optimism that surrounded the coronation of Charles III's mother," he said.

Another attempt to make the event less elitist and more inclusive also made people cringe. Instead of the traditional "tribute of peers", during which historical members of the aristocracy had to kneel to pledge their loyalty to the king, Buckingham Palace wanted to invite viewers to swear allegiance to it in front of their televisions. A request judged by some as "awkward", "condescending", and "archaic".

"Britain is a liberal democracy that believes in free speech, so the idea of lending words to all people and making them take an oath of loyalty has been frowned upon," Owens said. "I think asking people to say 'God save the King' was the limit," Blaxill said.

This article was adapted from the French by Cyrielle Cabot. The original can be found here.

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