King Charles III to Pay Emotional, Special Tribute to Prince Philip at Coronation Ceremony
King Charles III‘s coronation will have some personal touches when he is crowned king of the United Kingdom on May 6. While much of the planning for the event has been kept secret, one tidbit was revealed in a statement by Buckingham Palace. Charles will pay homage to his beloved father, Prince Philip, with a heartwarming tribute woven into the storied royal weekend.
King Charles III will have a scaled-down coronation ceremony
King Charles III’s ceremony, alongside his wife Camilla, Queen Consort, will be a more scaled-back event than his mother, Queen Elizabeth II‘s lavish coronation celebration in June 1953. Charles’ ceremony is reportedly a more modernized celebration.
“The king has stripped back a lot of the coronation in recognition that the world has changed in the past 70 years,” reported The Mirror of the celebration details. Subsequently, the three-hour service at Westminster Abbey will reportedly be pared down to just 60 minutes.
The number of guests is reported to be just 2,000. This number is scaled back from the over 8,000 who attended Elizabeth’s rise to power. “The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today. And look toward the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,” Buckingham Palace said.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will perform the religious ceremony. The event is scheduled to be televised, although Buckingham Palace has yet to release official details.
The profoundly traditional ceremony will honor the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ late mother, from whom he assumes the throne. However, Charles’ father, Prince Philip, will also be honored very sentimentally.
Prince Philip will be honored as his son, Charles III, takes the throne
Prince Philip was Charles’s beloved father and Elizabeth’s husband, who died in Apr. 2021 at Windsor Castle. He was 99.
Philip will be a big part of Charles’ coronation ceremony. The official royal website reports twelve commissioned pieces of music will be performed at the coronation.
“At the request of His Majesty. In tribute to his late father, his royal highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Greek Orthodox music will also feature in the service. Performed by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble,” the site reports.
Philip was born in Greece and baptized in the Greek Orthodox church. Per Vanity Fair, when he married Queen Elizabeth in November 1947, he converted to the Anglican religion.
King Charles will also have a coronation anthem written by a legendary composer
? Twelve newly commissioned pieces of music will be performed at the Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort at @Wabbey, showcasing musical talent from across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 18, 2023
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The royal website revealed Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, the legendary composer behind smash hits such as Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, was asked to write Charles a new coronation anthem. In a statement by Buckingham Palace, Webber said, “I am incredibly honored to have been asked to compose a new anthem for The Coronation. My anthem includes words slightly adapted from Psalm 98.”
He continued, “I have scored it for the Westminster Abbey choir and organ, the ceremonial brass and orchestra. I hope my anthem reflects this joyful occasion.”
The entire coronation service will be sung by The Choir of Westminster Abbey and The Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace, along with choristers from the Chapel Choir of Methodist College, Belfast, and Truro Cathedral Choir. The Ascension Choir will also perform, as will the king’s scholars of Westminster School.
