A holy oil from Jerusalem’s Old City, used to anoint kings for thousands of years will be used to crown King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6.
“The oil that will be used to anoint him as king was consecrated in Jerusalem’s Old City, two minutes away from my office, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith, editor-in-chief of Aish.com, wrote in a recent column. The oil is made from olives of Mount of Olives’ fame, according to Coopersmith, who notes that Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, has noted the “deep historic link” between the oil that will crown King Charles and that of biblical kings. “In Judaism, anointing with oil signifies the endowment of Divine power, authority and blessings upon the new king.”
The oldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh, King Charles III became king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on September 8, 2022 after his mother’s death. Being 73 at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, he is the oldest monarch to ascend to the British throne. King Charles III married Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005. She will officially become queen on May 6.
The Chrism oil used to anoint King Charles III will be based on the same oil used to anoint Queen Elizabeth II. The anointing is the holiest aspect of the coronation. King Charles III will have a full screen and be completely out of sight during his anointing. This will give him more privacy than his mother, who had only a canopy to hide her from onlookers.
Churchofengland.org cites Luke 4:18-19 to explain the biblical symbolism behind the anointing. Jesus proclaims that He was anointed before the start of His public ministry. “During the Coronation, the Sovereign is anointed on their head, hands and heart, to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide them as they lead,” according to churchofengland.org. “[The oil] reflects The King’s personal family connection with the Holy Land and his great care for its peoples,” Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was quoted as saying by USA Today.
CBS News will begin live coverage of the May 6 coronation at 5 a.m. Eastern. According to CBS News, the ceremony “will be attended by members of the royal family, foreign dignitaries, politicians, and even some members of the public.”
The guest list totals around 2,000 guests, including William, the Prince of Wales and his family, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
U.S. President Joe Biden was also invited but will be unable to attend.
This number is down from the 8,251 guests who attended Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, which was the first televised British coronation. King Charles III’s coronation will be the second British coronation to be televised. The Independent estimated that 20 million viewers watched Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation on T.V.
Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli, and Take That, a British pop group will headline the coronation concert on May 7, the day following King Charles III’s coronation.
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