King Charles III has been crowned alongside his wife, Queen Camilla, in a ceremony built on more than 900 years of British tradition.
The monarch travelled to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, 70 years after he watched his mother Queen Elizabeth II perform the same religious ceremony when he was a 4-year-old boy.
Charles, now 74, sat in the wooden coronation chair, which survived being vandalized by schoolchildren hundreds of years ago, as the St Edward's Crown was placed on his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Justin Welby held the priceless headpiece aloft for several seconds before positioning it carefully, its 5-pound weight and fragility visible in his delicate movements.
Charles blinked repeatedly throughout and appeared close to tears as he was overcome by the emotion of the historic ceremony.
The abbey bells rang for 2 minutes before a gun salute was fired by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery who were positioned nearby on Horse Guards Parade.
Further gun salutes were fired from the Tower of London, throughout the U.K. and in Gibraltar and Bermuda, as well as by British ships at sea.
The St Edward's Crown was made for Charles II in 1661 and is the older of the two crowns Charles will wear.
The congregation at the Abbey recited: "God save the King, God save King Charles, long live King Charles, may the king live forever."
Minutes later Queen Camilla was also crowned, using Queen Mary's Crown, before the royal couple retreated in preparation for their second carriage procession, back to Buckingham Palace.
The dramatic moment, steeped in history, came after Charles was anointed with holy oil brought from Jerusalem behind a screen, to give him one brief moment of privacy during a day under the spotlight.
Prince William, next in line to the throne, paid his own personal homage to his father while Welby invited those present and watching at home to pledge allegiance, in a section of the service that proved controversial when first announced.
The king was also followed into the abbey by Prince George, an official page of honor, while Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis watched on with their mother, Kate Middleton.
Prince Harry watched from the third row, alongside other non-working members of the royal family, his changed status visible for all to see.
When Elizabeth was crowned, Charles sat with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
In the 1990s he told his authorized biographer, Jonathan Dimbleby, that his only memories of the day were a short haircut pasted down with "'the most appalling gunge" and "glorious music."
There was glorious music again as the king and queen consort processed into the Abbey, watched on by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the royal family, almost 100 heads of state from around the world and the great and good of British society.
Update 05/06/23, 7:50 a.m. ET: This article and its headline were updated with additional information.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
