Charles III crowned in ancient rite at Westminster Abbey
CTV
King Charles III was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey, receiving St. Edward's Crown in a ceremony built on ancient traditions, at a time when the monarchy is striving to remain relevant in a fractured modern Britain.
King Charles III was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey, receiving the bejeweled St. Edward's Crown in a ceremony built on ancient tradition at a time when the monarchy is striving to remain relevant in a fractured modern Britain.
Trumpets sounded inside the medieval abbey and the congregation shouted "God save the king!" at a service attended by more than 2,000 guests, including world leaders, aristocrats and celebrities. Outside, thousands of troops, tens of thousands of spectators and a smattering of protesters converged.
The crowed of well-wishers swelled to hundreds of thousands by the time the newly crowned Charles and Queen Camilla emerged to wave from the Buckingham Palace balcony alongside younger generations of royals.
It was the culmination of a seven-decade journey for the king from heir to monarch.
To the royal family and government, the occasion -- code-named Operation Golden Orb -- was a display of heritage, tradition and spectacle unmatched around the world.
To the crowds gathered under rainy skies -- thousands of whom had camped overnight -- it was a chance to be part of a historic occasion.
But to millions more, the day was greeted with a shrug, the awe and reverence the ceremony was designed to evoke largely gone.
