An order of service for King Charles’ coronation was published one week before the historic event on May 6.
The king has personally selected the musical programme, which has been designed to showcase a range of talent and styles from the UK and Commonwealth.
Among anthems by Handel, Parry and Byrd, it will feature a new anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and several other works personally commissioned by King Charles, with solo performances from Sir Bryn Terfel, Pretty Yende and Roderick Williams.
The coronation will also be recorded, and an album will be released on the day of the ceremony.
The complete order of service was published by the Church of England on Saturday 29 April, before the historic event at Westminster Abbey.
Here’s everything you need to know.
King’s coronation – full order of service
Procession into Westminster Abbey
The coronation will start with a procession into Westminster Abbey, with faith leaders, representatives of faith communities, the procession of ecumenical leaders and the choir.
Procession of the King and Queen; Parry’s ‘I Was Glad’
The King and Queen, Charles and Camilla, will enter the Abbey to the sound of Hubert Parry’s great anthem ‘I Was Glad’. It was composed for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902.
Greeting the King
A young Chapel Royal chorister will greet the King, which will be followed by a moment of silent prayer, the coronation greeting and an introduction by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Then the first of the King’s 12 coronation commissions, Paul Mealor’s Kyrie Eleison will be played.
The Recognition and Presentation of the Bible
The monarch is presented to the people four times, to mirror the north, south, east and west points of the compass. The King is presented, followed by Lady Angiolini, a former Scottish Lord Advocate; Christopher Finney, GC, representing holders of the Victoria and George Cross, and Baroness Amos, a former Labour minister.
After the Recognition, led by the Archbishop, the Bible will be presented as the church’s first gift to the King, to highlight the importance of the word of God and for the King to use as he comes to swear his oaths.
The Oath
This is the legislative part of the coronation service and one of the oldest and essential parts of it.
It includes introductory words from the Archbishop of Canterbury which re-assert the position of the Church of England as the established church: “The church established by law, whose settlement you will swear to maintain” and refers to its new-found justification for its existence today: “[it] will seek to foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely”.
It’s a moment of mutual endorsement of the King and the Church of England.
It includes the King promising mercy in his judgements and to govern according to customs in his realms.
During the signing of the Oath, a short anthem - William Byrd’s ‘Prevent Us, O Lord’, written in the 16th century for the Book of Common Prayer - will be sung.
The King’s Prayer
Next, we will hear The King’s Prayer, which is offered by His Majesty.
On its website, the Church of England has said: “This is possibly the first time in our history that such a personal prayer has been voiced so publicly by the Sovereign.”
It refers to Christ’s dictum about serving, and not being served.
He then says: “Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and conviction” - another attempt in this coronation at inclusivity.
Byrd Anthem
Byrd’s ‘Mass for Four Voices’, a delicate and intimate setting for a four-part choir composed around 1592 during the reign of Elizabeth I, will follow.
The readings
Readings from Scripture are always part of a Christian service and there are two in the Coronation Service - one from St Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians and the other from Luke’s Gospel.
The two readers signify ways in which Britain has changed so much from 1953: the epistle is read by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, the son of migrants from East Africa who were of Indian descent, and is a Hindu; and the gospel is read by Dame Sarah Mullally, the most senior woman bishop in the Church of England.
Luke’s Gospel is about being called to serve, the theme of the coronation.
The sermon
It is normal in church services for the sermon - the moment of teaching - to be conducted, however, coronations do not always have sermons.
The Archbishop will deliver the sermon, followed by a performance of the Christian hymn ‘Veni Creator Spiritus ‘(Come Creator Spirit) in a new arrangement incorporating the traditional languages of the four nations of the United Kingdom. The hymn became part of the coronation service in the 14th century.
The anointing
This is the heart of the coronation ceremony — the most spiritual, most sacramental moment — when the King is anointed with holy oil, as a sign of God’s blessing being bestowed on him.
The oil was consecrated by Hosam Naouam, the Anglican bishop in Jerusalem, who brought it from Jerusalem, where it was created and blessed by the bishop and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The oil has a special resonance for the King as it was made from olives growing where his paternal grandmother, Princess Alice, is buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
Kings in this country have been anointed for more than 1000 years, as the written record of the coronation of King Edgar in 973 shows.
In 1727 Handel composed an anthem with these words for the coronation of George II, which has been used at every crowning since, and it will be sung on 6 May.
Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anointed Solomon king. And all the people rejoiced.
The oil will be poured from a vessel called the ampulla, which is in the shape of an eagle, and the oil will come through its beak into the medieval coronation spoon, the oldest item in the coronation regalia.
Coronation chair
The chair, dating from 1296, when it was made by Edward I to house the Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, that he plundered from the Scots, and has been used for every crowning since then. The stone was returned to the Scots in 1996 and for the first time since then, it has been sent back to the abbey for the coronation.
Vesting
After the anointing, the King is prepared for his coronation, with special clothing akin to that of a priest, including a supertunica (gold coat), a robe and a specially commissioned stole.
The King holds a series of items and then a crown is put on his head.
Regalia presentation
This ceremony combines old and new, with several senior Anglican bishops involved alongside people following in their ancestors’ footsteps who performed the same ritual, including representatives of contemporary British society.
They include a Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Jewish peer, however, it has been carefully arranged so that they do not hand over any item with a specific Christian connection.
Music
New music was composed for the coronation, including a new version of Psalm 71, to be sung during the presentation of symbolic swords to the King. It will be sung as a Greek Orthodox chant, reflecting the King’s heritage.
Regalia and crowning
The orb, the sceptre, and St Edward’s Crown - all made for Charles II’s coronation in 1661 - are among the most important items. The orb signifies earth, and Christ having dominion over all of it, as well as kings and queens, signified by the cross topping it.
The sceptre, also topped with grass, signifies authority and good governance.
St Edward’s Crown, named after Edward the Confessor, is solid gold and weighs 2.23kg (nearly 5lb) and is only ever used at a coronation.
It is decorated with a cross, showing the King serves God and God’s people.
As soon as he crowns the King, Archbishop Welby will say God Save the King! and the people will respond with God Save the King! followed by a fanfare and salute.
The blessing
After blessings from the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, blessings are said by: Nikitas Loulias, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Thyateira & Great Britain; the Rev Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches; Bishop Mike Royal, general secretary of Churches Together in England; and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster.
Between them, their prayers add up to about 90 words - a minute amount compared with the thousands in this coronation.
Enthroning
Clerics set the King in his throne.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will say a prayer beginning “Stand firm”. Although the King is not sitting but standing, the phrase here means to be a beacon of stability.
Homage
This is one of the reimagined moments of the coronation.
The Archbishop of Canterbury and Prince William will pay homage to the King.
He will use the King’s title Defender of the Faith
There will be homage by the few bishops of the Church of England involved in the coronation service.
Then there is an innovation: the Homage of the People, when Archbishop Welby will invite people in the abbey and at home to say:
I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.
Coronation of the Queen
Queen Camilla will be crowned Queen Consort with the coronation crown of Queen Mary, which does not include the Koh-i-Noor diamond due to its links to colonialism. Instead, there are multiple diamonds from the huge Cullinan Diamond.
Camilla will have her own robes and regalia, including a spectre, rod and ring.
When Queen Camilla is enthroned alongside her husband, the moment - according to Archbishop Welby - is about their joint vocation of service.
Communion service
Attention now switches to the communion service, with gifts of bread and wine brought to the altar.
The communion service commemorates the last supper of Jesus with his disciples the night before his crucifixion.
The Gospels record that he said to them: Do this in memory of me. Holy Communion is the central part of services of most Christian denominations. Others emphasise the word God, with readings from the Bible.
Prior to the communion, the Lord’s Prayer is said and Archbishop Welby invites people to say it in their own languages.
End of the service
The service ends with a blessing, a sung Amen, and one of the most popular English hymns, Praise My Soul, The King of Heaven.
Te Deum
Te Deums have been part of the church since the fourth century and are sung at moments of great rejoicing.
They are often sung at coronations, but not always at the end. This time while the King and Queen change robes in St Edward’s Chapel, te deums will be sung.
National Anthem
This is sung when the King and Queen re-emerge.
Greeting from faith leaders
The King has always been keen to involve leaders of other faiths in his coronation. The needs of other faiths had to be respected too, given that the coronation takes place during the Orthodox Jewish Shabbat.
The faith leaders and representatives taking part are:
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (Judaism)
The Most Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala (Buddhism)
The Rt Hon the Lord Singh of Wimbledon (Sikhism)
Radha Mohan Das (Hinduism)
Aliya Azam (Islam)
Departure
The King and Queen depart in the Gold Coach for a procession back to Buckingham Palace.
