Dear Brethren and Friends,
Last month, on the 6th May 2023, King Charles the Third was crowned in Westminster Abbey in London as King of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. His mother, Queen Elizabeth the Second, was coronated on 2nd June 1953, some 70 years ago and so it was an elaborate and archaic ritual not seen in Britain since 1953.
In his first spoken part of the ceremony, Charles said that he had come to “serve, not to be served” and to follow the example of the “King of kings.”
The religious service was carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other senior figures in the Church of England. At the climax of the ceremony, the Archbishop placed St Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head—a solid gold crown, dating from 1661. This is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, and is only worn by the monarch at the moment of coronation itself (not least because it weighs a hefty 2.23kg—almost 5lbs). Unlike royal weddings, the coronation is a state occasion—the government pays for it, and ultimately decides the guest list.
Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – June 13, 2023"