Astrid Essed

[15]

”When Henry VIII renounced the spiritual authority of the Papacy in 1534 he was proclaimed ‘supreme head on earth’ of the Church of England. This was repealed by Queen Mary I but reinstated during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was proclaimed ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of England.”

ROYAL UK

THE QUEEN, THE CHURCH AND OTHER FAITHS

https://www.royal.uk/the-queen-the-church-and-other-faiths#:~:text=The%20Queen%20and%20the%20Church,1521%20by%20Pope%20Leo%20X.

As Sovereign The Queen has important and distinct constitutional relationships with the Established Churches of England and Scotland, dating back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. As Head of the Nation and Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty also recognises and celebrates other faiths in the UK and throughout the Commonwealth

The Queen and the Church of England

The Sovereign holds the title ‘Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England’. These titles date back to the reign of King Henry VIII, who was initially granted the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ in 1521 by Pope Leo X. When Henry VIII renounced the spiritual authority of the Papacy in 1534 he was proclaimed ‘supreme head on earth’ of the Church of England. This was repealed by Queen Mary I but reinstated during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was proclaimed ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of England.

The Monarch’s relationship with the Church of England is symbolised at the Coronation when the Sovereign is anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and takes an oath to “maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England”.

On the advice of the Prime Minister The Queen appoints Archbishops, Bishops and Deans of the Church of England, who then swear an oath of allegiance and pay homage to Her Majesty. Church of England deacons and parish priests also swear an oath of allegiance to the Sovereign.

In spiritual and practical matters the Church of England is led by 108 Bishops and managed by a General Synod, which is elected every five years from the laity and clergy of its 41 dioceses. The Synod meets twice annually in London or York to consider legislation for the good of the Church. The legislation is subject to Parliamentary veto and receives Royal Assent as Acts of Parliament. The General Synod also passes ecclesiastical regulations called Canons. These Canons, which bind the clergy and laity of the Church, are submitted to The Queen for promulgation by Royal Licence on the advice of the Home Secretary. Find out more about the structure of the Church of England on their website.

In 1970 Queen Elizabeth II became the first Sovereign to inaugurate and address the General Synod in person. Since then Her Majesty inaugurated and addressed the opening session of the General Synod every five years after diocesan elections.

The Church of Scotland

Monarchs have sworn to maintain the Church of Scotland since the sixteenth century. The duty to “preserve the settlement of the true Protestant religion as established by the laws made in Scotland” was affirmed in the 1707 Act of Union between England and Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth II made this pledge at the first Privy Council meeting of her reign in February 1952.

The Queen’s relationship with the Church of Scotland was symbolised by a Service of Dedication in St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on 24 June 1953, three weeks after the Coronation. During this ceremony Her Majesty was blessed by the Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

The Church of Scotland is a Presbyterian church and recognises only Jesus Christ as ‘King and Head of the Church’. The King therefore does not hold the title ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of Scotland; when attending Church services in Scotland His Majesty does so as an ordinary member.

The Church of Scotland is entirely self-governing. It is managed on a local level by kirk sessions, at a district level by presbyteries, and at a national level by the General Assembly, which comprises 850 commissioners and meets each May, generally in Edinburgh. Find out more about the government of the Church of Scotland on their website.

The Sovereign is represented at the General Assembly by the Lord High Commissioner, who attends as an observer and is appointed by His Majesty on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Lord High Commissioner makes opening and closing addresses to the General Assembly and reports to His Majesty on its proceedings. Members of the Royal Family have acted as Lord High Commissioners. The Queen, with The Duke of Edinburgh attended and addressed the General Assembly on a number of occasions, most recently in 2002. 

The Queen and other faiths

The Queen acknowledged and celebrated religious diversity and tolerance in the UK and the Commonwealth. This was reflected in Her Majesty’s Christmas and Commonwealth Day messages, which often address the theme of inter-faith harmony and tolerance.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh met with and hosted the leaders of numerous faiths and denominations and visited many different places of worship in the UK and across the Commonwealth. The leaders of faiths and denominations are regularly invited to major Royal ceremonial events such as Royal weddings and Services of Thanksgiving.

To mark the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended a multi-faith reception at Lambeth Palace, which was hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury and attended by the leaders of eight other faiths in the UK.

 In 2007 The Queen received members of the Three-Faiths Forum, an organisation dedicated to building understanding and lasting relationships between people of all faiths and beliefs.

On this occasion Her Majesty was presented with the Sternberg Interfaith Gold Medallion. Established in 1986, it is awarded to individuals who have helped promote peace and tolerance between people of different faiths. Previous recipients include Pope John Paul II.

WIKIPEDIA

SUPREME HEAD OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Head_of_the_Church_of_England

[16]

WIKIPEDIA

HENRY VIII & REFORMATION

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII#Reformation

WIKIPEDIA

DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_monasteries

FROM

WIKIPEDIA

HENRY VIII/SHRINES DESTROYED AND MONASTERIES DISSOLVED

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII#Shrines_destroyed_and_monasteries_dissolved

ORIGINAL SOURCE

WIKIPEDIA

HENRY VIII

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII

”When Henry VIII renounced the spiritual authority of the Papacy in 1534 he was proclaimed ‘supreme head on earth’ of the Church of England. This was repealed by Queen Mary I but reinstated during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was proclaimed ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of England.”

ROYAL UK

THE QUEEN, THE CHURCH AND OTHER FAITHS

https://www.royal.uk/the-queen-the-church-and-other-faiths#:~:text=The%20Queen%20and%20the%20Church,1521%20by%20Pope%20Leo%20X.

SEE FOR THE WHOLE TEXT, NOTE 15

HISTORY CO.UK

THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH

The Medieval Church

The Medieval Church played a far greater role in Medieval England than the Church does today. In Medieval England, the Church dominated everybody’s life. All Medieval people – be they village peasants or towns people – believed that God, Heaven and Hell all existed. From the very earliest of ages, the people were taught that the only way they could get to Heaven was if the Roman Catholic Church let them. Everybody would have been terrified of Hell and the people would have been told of the sheer horrors awaiting for them in Hell in the weekly services they attended.

The control the Church had over the people was total. Peasants worked for free on Church land. This proved difficult for peasants as the time they spent working on Church land, could have been better spent working on their own plots of land producing food for their families.

They paid 10% of what they earned in a year to the Church (this tax was called tithes). Tithes could be paid in either money or in goods produced by the peasant farmers. As peasants had little money, they almost always had to pay in seeds, harvested grain, animals etc. This usually caused a peasant a lot of hardship as seeds, for example, would be needed to feed a family the following year. What the Church got in tithes was kept in huge tithe barns; a lot of the stored grain would have been eaten  by rats or poisoned by their urine. A failure to pay tithes, so the peasants were told by the Church, would lead to their souls going to Hell after they had died.

This is one reason why the Church was so wealthy.  One of the reasons Henry VIII wanted to reform the  Church was get hold of the Catholic Church’s money. People were too scared not to pay tithes despite the difficulties it meant for them.

You also had to pay for baptisms (if you were not baptised you could not go to Heaven when you died), marriages (there were no couples living together in Medieval times as the Church taught that this equaled sin) and burials – you had to be buried on holy land if your soul was to get to heaven. Whichever way you looked, the Church received money.

The Church also did not have to pay taxes. This saved them a vast sum of money and made it far more wealthy than any king of England at this time. The sheer wealth of the Church is best shown in its buildings : cathedrals, churches and monasteries.

In Medieval England, peasants lived in cruck houses. These were filthy, usually no more than two rooms, with a wooden frame covered with wattle and daub (a mixture of mud, straw and manure). No cruck houses exist now – most simply collapsed after a while as they were so poorly built. However, there are many Medieval churches around. The way they were built and have lasted for centuries, is an indication of how well they were built and the money the Church had to invest in these building.

Important cities would have cathedrals in them. The most famous cathedrals were at Canterbury and York. After the death of Thomas Becket, Canterbury Cathedral became a center for pilgrimage and the city grew more and more wealthy. So did the Church. Cathedrals  were vast. They are big by our standards today, but in Medieval England they were bigger than all buildings including royal palaces. Their sheer size meant that people would see them from miles around, and remind them of the huge power of the Catholic Church in Medieval England.

To work on the building of a cathedral was a great honour. Those who did the skilled work had to belong to a guild. They would have used just the most basic of tools and less than strong scaffolding to do the ceilings. However, if you were killed in an accident while working in a cathedral or a church, you were guaranteed a place in Heaven – or so the workers were told.

[17]

WITH THANKS TO HISTORIAN KATHRYN WARNER AND

HER EXCELLENT BLOG ABOUT THE EVENTS, ISSUES AND

PERSONALITIES OF EDWARD II’S REIGN 1307-1327

http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com/

[ON THE LEFTSIDE

BELOW

UNDER ”EDWARD’S TITLES, 1312]

EDWARD II’S CORONATION OATH,  25 FEBRUARY 1308

Edward II’s coronation oath: translation

[ENGLISH TRANSLATION]

THE ORIGINAL CORONATION OATH OF KING EDWARD II

WAS IN FRENCH

SEE BELOW

FROM THE EXCELLENT WEBLOG OF HISTORIAN KATHRYN WARNER

SEE THE LEFTSIDE BELOW

UNDER ”EDWARD’S TITLES”

http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com/

Sire, will you grant and keep and by your oath confirm to the people of England the laws and customs given to them by the previous just and god-fearing kings, your ancestors, and especially the laws, customs, and liberties granted to the clergy and people by the glorious king, the sainted Edward, your predecessor?

 I grant and promise them. 

Sire, will you in all your judgments, so far as in you lies, preserve to God and Holy Church, and to the people and clergy, entire peace and concord before God?

 I will preserve them. 

Sire, will you, so far as in you lies, cause justice to be rendered rightly, impartially, and wisely, in compassion and in truth?

I will do so.

Sire, do you grant to be held and observed the just laws and customs that the community of your realm shall determine, and will you, so far as in you lies, defend and strengthen them to the honour of God?

I grant and promise them.

IN FRENCH [ORIGINAL]

Edward II’s coronation oath, 25 February 1308

FROM THE EXCELLENT WEBLOG OF HISTORIAN KATHRYN WARNER

http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com/

ON THE LEFTSIDE

UNDER:

EDWARD II’S TITLES

Sire, volez vous graunter, è garder, &, par vostre serment, confermer au poeple d’Engleterre les leys, & les custumes, à eux grauntees par les auntiens Rois d’Engleterre, voz predecessours droitures & devotz a DIEU; & nomement les lois, les custumes, & les fraunchises, grantez au clerge, è au poeple par le glorieus Roi seint Edward, vostre predecessour?

Jeo les grante & promette

Sire, garderez vous à DIEU, & seinte eglise, & au clerge, & au poeple paes, & acord en DIEU entierment, solonc vostre poer?

Jeo les garderai

Sire, freez vous faire, en touz voz jugementz, ovele & droit justice & discretion, en misericorde & verite, à vostre poer?

Jeo le frai

Sire, graunte vous à tenir & garder les loys & les custumes droitureles, les quiels la communaute de vostre roiaume aura esleu, & les defendrez & afforcerez, al honour de DIEU, à vostre poer?

Jeo les graunte & promette.

[18]

WIKIPEDIA

DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_right_of_kings

[19]

WIKIPEDIA

DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS/PRE-CHRISTIAN CONCEPTIONS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_right_of_kings#Pre-Christian_conceptions

ORIGINAL SOURCE

WIKIPEDIA

DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_right_of_kings

[20]

WIKIPEDIA

DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS/ZOROASTRIANISM (IRANIAN WORLD)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_right_of_kings#Zoroastrianism_(Iranian_world)

WIKIPEDIA

DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS/JUDAISM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_right_of_kings#Judaism

ORIGINAL SOURCE

WIKIPEDIA

DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_right_of_kings

WIKIPEDIA

SACRED KING

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_king

[21]

”In many historical societies, the position of kingship carries a sacral meaning; that is, it is identical with that of a high priest and judge.”

WIKIPEDIA

SACRED KING

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_king

[22]

”English coronations were traditionally held at Westminster Abbey, with the monarch seated on the Coronation Chair. Main elements of the coronation service and the earliest form of oath can be traced to the ceremony devised by Saint Dunstan for King Edgar’s coronation in 973 AD at Bath Abbey.”

WIKIPEDIA

CORONATION OF THE BRITISH MONARCH/HISTORY/ENGLISH CORONATIONS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch#English_coronations

ORIGINAL SOURCE

WIKIPEDIA

CORONATION OF THE BRITISH MONARCH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch

SEE ALSO

WIKIPEDIA

LIST OF BRITISH CORONATIONS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_coronations

[23]

Two versions of coronation services, known as ordines (from the Latin ordo meaning “order”) or recensions, survive from before the Norman Conquest. It is not known if the first recension was ever used in England, and it was the second recension which was used by Edgar in 973 and by subsequent Anglo-Saxon and early Norman kings.^[1]

A third recension was probably compiled during the reign of Henry I and was used at the coronation of his successor, Stephen, in 1135. While retaining the most important elements of the Anglo-Saxon rite, it may have borrowed from the consecration of the Holy Roman Emperor from the Pontificale Romano-Germanicum, a book of German liturgy compiled in Mainz in 961, thus bringing the English tradition into line with continental practice.^[2] It remained in use until the coronation of Edward II in 1308 when the fourth recension was first used, having been compiled over several preceding decades. Although influenced by its French counterpart, the new ordo focussed on the balance between the monarch and his nobles and on the oath, neither of which concerned the absolutist French kings.^[3] One manuscript of this recension is the Liber Regalis at Westminster Abbey which has come to be regarded as the definitive version.

WIKIPEDIA

CORONATION OF THE BRITISH MONARCH/HISTORY/ENGLISH CORONATIONS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch#History

ORIGINAL SOURCE

WIKIPEDIA

CORONATION OF THE BRITISH MONARCH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch

[24]

Two versions of coronation services, known as ordines (from the Latin ordo meaning “order”) or recensions, survive from before the Norman Conquest. It is not known if the first recension was ever used in England, and it was the second recension which was used by Edgar in 973 and by subsequent Anglo-Saxon and early Norman kings.^[1]

A third recension was probably compiled during the reign of Henry I and was used at the coronation of his successor, Stephen, in 1135. While retaining the most important elements of the Anglo-Saxon rite, it may have borrowed from the consecration of the Holy Roman Emperor from the Pontificale Romano-Germanicum, a book of German liturgy compiled in Mainz in 961, thus bringing the English tradition into line with continental practice.^[2] It remained in use until the coronation of Edward II in 1308 when the fourth recension was first used, having been compiled over several preceding decades. Although influenced by its French counterpart, the new ordo focussed on the balance between the monarch and his nobles and on the oath, neither of which concerned the absolutist French kings.^[3] One manuscript of this recension is the Liber Regalis at Westminster Abbey which has come to be regarded as the definitive version.

WIKIPEDIA

CORONATION OF THE BRITISH MONARCH/HISTORY/ENGLISH CORONATIONS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch#History

ORIGINAL SOURCE

WIKIPEDIA

CORONATION OF THE BRITISH MONARCH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch

[25]

”Following the start of the Reformation in England, the boy king Edward VI had been crowned in the first Protestant coronation in 1547, during which Archbishop Thomas Cranmer preached a sermon against idolatry and “the tyranny of the bishops of Rome”. However, six years later, he was succeeded by his half-sister Mary I, who restored the Catholic rite.^[5] In 1559, Elizabeth I underwent the last English coronation under the auspices of the Catholic Church; however, Elizabeth’s insistence on changes to reflect her Protestant beliefs resulted in several bishops refusing to officiate at the service, and it was conducted by the low-ranking bishop of Carlisle, Owen Oglethorpe”

WIKIPEDIA

CORONATION OF THE BRITISH MONARCH/HISTORY/ENGLISH CORONATIONS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch#History

ORIGINAL SOURCE

WIKIPEDIA

CORONATION OF THE BRITISH MONARCH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch

[26]

”The anointing is the most sacred part of the coronation ceremony, and takes place before the investiture and crowning. ”

ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST

THE CORONATION SPOON

Second half twelfth century

https://www.rct.uk/collection/31733/the-coronation-spoon#:~:text=The%20anointing%20is%20the%20most,the%20hands%2C%20breast%20and%20head.

Description

The silver-gilt spoon has an oval bowl, divided into two lobes, engraved with acanthus scrolls. The bowl is joined to the stem by a stylised monster’s head, behind which the stem flattens into a roundel, flanked by four pearls, and a band of interlaced scrolling, with another monster’s head; the end of the tapering stem is spirally twisted, and terminates in a flattened knop.

The spoon is first recorded in 1349 as preserved among St Edward’s Regalia in Westminster Abbey. Already at this date it is described as a spoon of ‘antique forme’. Stylistically it seems to relate to the twelfth century and is therefore a remarkable survival – the only piece of royal goldsmiths’ work to survive from that century. It was possibly supplied to Henry II or Richard I.

It is unclear from the 1349 inventory whether the spoon at this date was part of the chapel plate or simply a secular object. However, it was clearly never intended for eating or stirring. Its divided bowl and length suggest that it always had a ceremonial purpose, and its presence among the regalia means that it has always been associated with coronations. It may originally have been used for mixing wine and water in a chalice, but it was certainly used for anointing the sovereign during the coronation of James I in 1603, and at every subsequent coronation. One suggestion is that the divided bowl was designed in this fashion so that the archbishop might dip two fingertips into the holy oil.

The spoon remained among the regalia until 1649, when it was sold off (rather than melted down like the other items). It was purchased by a Mr Kynnersley, Yeoman of Charles I’s Wardrobe, for 16 shillings. Kynnersley returned the spoon to Charles II, for use at the coronation in 1661, when the small pearls were added to its decoration. It has remained in use ever since.

The anointing is the most sacred part of the coronation ceremony, and takes place before the investiture and crowning. The Archbishop pours holy oil from the Ampulla (or vessel) into the spoon, and anoints the sovereign on the hands, breast and head. The tradition goes back to the Old Testament which describes the anointing of Solomon by Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet. Anointing was one of the medieval holy sacraments and it emphasised the spiritual status of the sovereign. Until the seventeenth century the sovereign was considered to be appointed directly by God and this was confirmed by the ceremony of anointing. Although the monarch is no longer considered divine in the same way, the ceremony of Coronation also confirms the monarch as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Provenance

Possibly made for Henry II or Richard I. First recorded in the Royal Collection in 1349

END OF THE ARTICLE

[27]

” 39Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”

KINGS 1:39

THE BIBLE

OLD TESTIMONY

1 KINGS 1

https://www.bible.com/bible/114/1KI.1.NKJV

1Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. 2Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.” 3So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.

5Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6(And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.) 7Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.

9And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.

11So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne“? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 16And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?”

17Then she said to him, “My lord, you swore by the Lord your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it. 19He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders.”

22And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 23So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 24And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26But he has not invited me—me your servant—nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

David Proclaims Solomon King

28Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29And the king took an oath and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 30just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.”

31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, “Let my lord King David live forever!”

32And King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33The king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! May the Lord God of my lord the king say so too. 37As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 39Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.

41Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, “Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?” 42While he was still speaking, there came Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, “Come in, for you are a prominent man, and bring good news.”

43Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. 45So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 46Also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47And moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king bowed himself on the bed. 48Also the king said thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!’ ”

49So all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one went his way.

50Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51And it was told Solomon, saying, “Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ”

52Then Solomon said, “If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

[28]

ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST

THE CORONATION SPOON

Second half twelfth century

https://www.rct.uk/collection/31733/the-coronation-spoon#:~:text=The%20anointing%20is%20the%20most,the%20hands%2C%20breast%20and%20head.

SEE FOR THE WHOLE TEXT, NOTE 26

[29]

THE ROYAL FAMILY SHARES RARE DETAILS ABOUT THE CORONATION’S

ANOINTING SCREEN

https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a43812404/charles-coronation-anointing-screen/

After months weeks of anticipation, King Charles’ coronation has happened. By now, we all feel pretty up to speed on the day’s biggest symbols: the 700-year-old chair, the crowns, and the king’s gilded carriages to name a few. However, the one element we were surprised by was the screen used in the anointing ceremony.

The concept of the anointing screen isn’t exactly new. Since this portion of the coronation symbolizes the monarch’s divine right to the throne, it’s typically done away from the public—and, of course, the millions of viewers watching on live television at home. But, while the late Queen Elizabeth II used a canopy to get some privacy, King Charles kicked things up a notch with a full-blown screen.

Designed by iconographer Aidan Hart and managed by the Royal School of Needlework, the screen took inspiration from the stained glass sanctuary window in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, which was gifted by the Livery Companies to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. According to the Royal Family, King Charles personally selected the design inspo.

With the monarchy’s cipher at the bottom—to represent the king’s position as servant to the people—the screen boasts 56 leaves to pay homage to the British Commonwealth’s 56 member states.

Of course, the easter eggs go beyond what meets the eye. The screen itself features a mix of hand and digital embroidery, hitting the sweet spot between the royal lineage’s long-standing history and tradition and today’s more modern methods. From the sustainably sourced threads to the wool backdrop—which was sourced from Australia and New Zealand, but milled in the United Kingdom—it’s safe to say Mother Nature would approve.

Oak poles made from a windblown tree at Windsor Estate supported the screen so King Charles could grab some much-needed privacy. And the perfect finishing touch? Two mounted two eagles, which were cast in bronze and gilded in gold leaf. The Royal Family notes that the eagle was featured on Queen Elizabeth’s coronation canopies as well—a small nod to his family’s history but executed on the new king’s terms.

END OF THE ARTICLE

[30]

WIKIPEDIA

EDGAR, KING OF ENGLAND

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar,_King_of_England

ANCIENT ORIGINS.NET

ANGLO SAXON ABBEY WHERE LUSTY KING EDGAR WAS CROWNED, FOUND!

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/anglo-saxon-abbey-0013202

King Edgar (the Peaceful) was the first king of ‘all England’ – including the kingdoms of Scotland, Mercia, and Wessex, and his coronation at an Anglo-Saxon abbey as a divine ruler recognized by God set the precedence for all future Kings and Queens of England. Now archaeologists believe they may have found the location of the lost abbey in Bath.

Edgar was the brother of Eadwig and son of Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury. He was the father of Ethelred the Unready and Edward the Martyr, both future kings of England, and he himself ascended to the throne of England following the death of his brother in 959 AD. Edgar was later crowned in 973 AD, in a long-lost Anglo-Saxon abbey in Bath; which might now have been discovered by archaeologists excavating in the ancient English city.

Unearthing an Anglo-Saxon Abbey

Bath Abbey was always thought of as having been located upon a much earlier Anglo-Saxon monastery, but no evidence was ever found to support this idea. However, two structures were discovered during primary renovation works as part of Bath Abbey’s £19.3 million (25.2 million USD) Footprint project and a team of archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology discovered to the south of the modern-day Abbey what a Daily Mail article describes as “Semi-circular relics dating to between the 8th and 10th century AD.”

Plaster samples taken from the remains tested positive for charcoal and they were sent to Queen’s University, Belfast for radiocarbon dating, which determined they were from “AD 780-970 and AD 670-770”. These results are why the researchers believe they might have found the site of King Edgar’s coronation – Bath’s lost Anglo-Saxon monastery . And speaking of the discovery to the Daily Mail the Reverend Canon Guy Bridgewater at Bath Abbey said this is a “really exciting find.”

King Edgar’s Unification of a Broken Nation

Following the death of his older brother in 959 AD, Edgar had been crowned King of Wessex at Kingston-upon-Thames, but by 973 AD he wished for his expanding Anglo-Saxon kingship to be marked with a grand coronation ceremony on the Mercian-Wessex border at Bath.

Edgar planned his own coronation ceremony with his advisor St Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury , and emphasized that he was being crowned king under the will of God and as the first King of England because he united the warring kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria into one political entity.

An entry in Early British Kingdoms says that after his coronation at Bath, Edgar flexed his military power by marching his army northwards, gathering Viking warriors , and that his navy joined him in Chester where the northern kings assembled to submit to his overlordship. And while history remembers Edgar as “a good king” under the will of God, in reality, his conquests were not only of agricultural terrain, important sea channels, and trade routes, but also of women, as Edgar had a blistering sexual appetite which gave rise to a number of shocking stories.

When the Little Head Rules the Big One…

An example of Edgar’s out of control desire for sexual conquest is found in Early British Kingdoms , which says that soon after ascending the throne Edgar became smitten by the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman of Hampshire and he traveled there demanding that she slept with him. In their daughter’s place the girl’s parents sent a maidservant to join the King and after a night of “unbridled passion” the girl ran away explaining that she had to start work before the rest of the household arose. In what chroniclers say was a “mad fury,” the King confiscated all his hosts’ lands and made his bed-fellow their mistress.

The peaceful and horny King Edgar died two years after the coronation at Bath on July 8, 975 AD and he was buried in St. Dunstan’s abbey at Glastonbury (Somerset) where he was revered as a saint.

One can only imagine his canonization occurred as a result of the stability his monastic reforms brought to England rather than his ungodly sexual conquests! It seems that King Edgar, like many men who become kings, thought that cash and power means they can just go around meeting women and whenever they like: “Grab them by the …” Thank goodness that attitude died out a long time ago.

END OF THE ARTICLE

[31]

WORLD HISTORY.ORG

THE CORONATION CEREMONY OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY

30 MARCH 2020

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1533/the-coronation-ceremony-of-the-british-monarchy/

The coronation ceremony of the British monarchy as we know it today involves many elements that have been a part of the pageantry ever since the 11th century. Such features of the ceremony carried out in Westminster Abbey since 1066 have been maintained by successive monarchs right down to Queen Elizabeth II (r. 1952-2022) and her coronation on 2 June 1953, as all rulers were keen to show they were part of a long-standing tradition.

The essential purpose of the British coronation ceremony is to see the monarch swear an oath to uphold the Church and rule with honour, wisdom and mercy. The monarch is anointed with holy oil and given a sword, orb, ring, sceptre and, finally, a crown. Then all the nobles and clergy present swear loyalty to their sovereign. The new monarch next embarks on a procession to be presented to the people and finally – although nowadays it has gone out of fashion – there was a great feast of celebration, a function now replaced by live television.

Origins

The earliest English coronation that is recorded in detail, although it was certainly not the first, is the crowning of the Anglo-Saxon king Edgar (r. 959-975 CE) in Bath in 953 CE. Early English kings may even have settled for an ornate helmet rather than a crown but with the arrival of William the Conqueror (r. 1066-1087 CE), a tradition began of holding a lavish coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. William was himself crowned there on Christmas Day 1066 CE. Subsequent kings and queens, all keen to maintain a link with history and emphasise their legitimacy for the role, repeated many of the ceremonial elements which are still a part of the coronation ceremony today. Each monarch would add a little something to the ceremony, but in its essentials, a combination of religious and secular rituals, it has remained unchanged for a thousand years.

The Ceremony

In the Middle Ages, monarchs prepared for their big day by bathing, a ritual act of purification conducted on the eve of the coronation in the Tower of London. This was followed by a vigil in the Tower’s chapel. Both of these acts were typical of the process by which a squire became a medieval knight. A tradition also began in 1399 CE where the monarch invested a number of new knights on the coronation eve, who became known as the Knights of Bath (and from 1725 CE, members of the order of that name).

The first public act of the coronation spectacle was the procession which took the monarch to Westminster Abbey and allowed as many people as possible to view the proceedings. The star of the show wore red parliamentary robes at this point while musicians and flag-bearers accompanied the main carriage from the Tower of London (or Buckingham Palace in more modern times) to its final destination. From 1685 CE, the procession started closer to Westminster Abbey. On arrival, a group of dignitaries follow the monarch bearing the various precious objects from the British Crown Jewels which will be used later during the ceremony. A bodyguard of sergeants-at-arms, each member of which carries a ceremonial mace (a reminder that protection was their primary aim), then escorts the monarch up the aisle of the Abbey.

Trumpets blare and drums beat as a line of dignitaries follows their monarch to a podium, three of them bearing a sword each. These swords are the Sword of Temporal Justice, Sword of Spiritual Justice, and the blunt Sword of Mercy (aka ‘Curtana’); all are survivors of the destruction of the Crown Jewels in 1649 CE (see below). Music has always played an important role in coronations with some pieces being a permanent fixture such as George Frederick Handel’s Zadok the Priest, played at all ceremonies since 1727 CE. The congregation then shouts their acceptance and loyalty to the monarch who now wears magnificent robes of silk and gold. The robe worn by Elizabeth II is the golden Imperial Mantle, and she also wore a stole embroidered with symbols of the British nations and plants from the Commonwealth. The monarch is now seated on the chair known as King Edward’s Chair, made c. 1300 CE, and the audience settles down for the ceremony to begin proper.

Anointing the Monarch

Another item which survives from the pre-1649 CE regalia is the coronation spoon. This is used to anoint the monarch with holy oil at the start of the ceremony. As the monarch is regarded as chosen by God to rule, their coronation ceremony had several features similar to the consecration of a bishop. In this case, the anointing is done by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who pours a small quantity of oil onto the monarch’s head, chest, and palms.

The oil used at the coronation of Henry IV of England (r. 1399-1413 CE) in 1399 CE was believed to have been miraculously given to the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket (in office 1162-1170 CE) by the Virgin Mary. This wondrous oil had only recently been discovered hidden away in one of the darker corners of the Tower of London’s cellars. The oil, whatever its real origin, was a useful add-on in Henry’s search to legitimise his usurpation of the throne from Richard II of England (r. 1377-1399 CE). Despite Henry IV’s best-laid plans, his coronation did suffer a mishap when he dropped the gold coin which he was supposed to ceremoniously offer to God. The coin rolled away and was never seen again, an ill omen of the rebellions that would ruin his reign. Nevertheless, Becket’s sacred oil was used at several coronations thereafter.

Symbols of Power

As traditionally a monarch was also a knight, the coronation ceremony involves symbols associated with that rank such as golden spurs, armills (bracelets), and a sword. The two swords which are presented to the monarch at coronations are the Sword of State, which dates to 1678 CE, and the Jewelled Sword of Offering, which was first used by George IV of England (r. 1820-1830 CE) for his coronation in 1821 CE. The archbishop presents these swords and proclaims the following:

With the sword do justice, stop the growth of iniquity, protect the holy Church of God, help and defend widows and orphans, restore the things that are gone to decay, maintain the things that are restored, punish and reform what is amiss, and confirm what is in good order.

(Holmes, 5)

The monarch is then given the Sovereign’s Orb which is topped by a cross and so symbolic of the Christian monarch’s domination of the secular world. It is placed in the sovereign’s left hand. The hollow gold orb, set with pearls, precious stones and a large amethyst beneath the cross, was made in 1661 CE and has been used in every coronation since then.

The monarch is next given the ‘Ring of Kingly Dignity’, placed on their third finger of the left hand (where a wedding ring is traditionally worn). The one used today, the Sovereign’s Ring, was originally made in 1831 CE for William IV of England (r. 1830-1837 CE) and has a cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) in rubies (thought to represent dignity) against a blue background of a single sapphire. A mix-up during the coronation of Queen Victoria (r. 1837-1901 CE) resulted in the ring being too tight and the queen later wrote that the archbishop had great trouble putting it on and she removing it later.

The monarch is now given a sceptre and staff or rod, traditional symbols of royal power and justice. The Sovereign’s Sceptre (aka King’s Sceptre) was first made in 1685 CE, with modifications being added subsequently. Today, it has the 530-carat Cullinan I diamond, also known as the First Star of Africa, sparkling at the top of it.

Crowning Moment

The climax of the entire ceremony is, of course, the actual crowning of the seated monarch. The crown used is usually Saint Edward’s Crown (and if an alternative is used, it still carries this name). The crown is named after Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066 CE) and was made when Henry III of England (r. 1216-1272 CE), a fan of the saint, fancied new regalia for his coronation. It is likely that parts of a more ancient Anglo-Saxon gold crown were incorporated into this new version. Unfortunately, most of the British Crown Jewels, including the crown, were destroyed, broken up or sold off in 1649 CE following the execution of Charles I of England (r. 1600-1649 CE) and the (what turned out to be) temporary abolishment of the monarchy.

The 1660 CE Restoration of the monarchy necessitated the production of new regalia which would be put into immediate use at the coronation of Charles II of England in 1661 CE (r. 1660-1685 CE). Although it is not clear exactly by what means they were found or reacquired, many of the precious stones that survived the old regalia were incorporated into the new Crown Jewels of the 17th century CE and the new St. Edward’s Crown. It is this crown which has been used in coronations ever since. It is gold and weighs 2.3 kilos (5 lbs). As the crown is so heavy, after the actual crowning it is usually replaced by another lighter crown such as the Imperial State Crown. Curiously, the St. Edward’s Crown was only ever filled with hired gems when it was needed for a coronation and not until 1911 CE did it receive permanent settings.

The Imperial State Crown was created for the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838 CE as a lighter alternative to St. Edward’s Crown. It is a spectacular crown and contains over 2,800 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, four rubies, and 269 pearls. Amongst these are the central Black Prince’s Ruby (actually a balas or spinel), below it the 317-carat Cullinan II diamond (aka Second Star of Africa), as well as the 104-carat oval-cut Stuart Sapphire and Saint Edward’s Sapphire (set in the top cross). The latter sapphire, an octagonal rose cut stone, is said to have been taken from the ring of Edward the Confessor making it the oldest item in all of the Crown Jewels.

Finally, the monarch’s consort also receives a crown during the ceremony. The most famous of these today is the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Made of platinum in 1937 CE, it contains the 105.60-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond from India, given to Queen Victoria as part of the peace treaty which ended the Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-49 CE). The great diamond is said to bring luck to a female wearer and bad luck to a male one, hence it has only appeared in various Queen consort crowns.

The final dramatic act in this royal drama involves the monarch’s nobles paying homage and swearing allegiance to their sovereign. Everyone dons their own crowns and coronets if they have the right to wear them and the whole congregation acclaims their new monarch by shouting ‘God Save the King/Queen’. The bells of Westminster Abbey ring out and there is simultaneously a 62-gun salute from the Tower of London. The monarch moves to sit on a throne on a raised platform and then receives homage from certain high-ranking clergy and nobles who kiss their hand. Finally, the monarch may issue a general pardon of those found guilty of wrong-doing under their predecessor and sometimes throws coins or medals into the assembly.

Procession

The monarch then leaves Westminster Abbey, now wearing purple imperial robes, and is transported in a golden carriage through the streets so that they may be presented to their people. Finally, the monarch arrives at Westminster Hall where a great feast used to be held. A fixture of medieval coronations, these were an opportunity for a monarch to shower some grace and favour on their most important subjects. Medieval coronation feasts could be huge affairs with up to 5,000 dishes served. We know that the guests at the coronation feast of Edward II of England (r. 1307-1327 CE) in 1308 CE managed to down 1,000 casks of wine. Exotic dishes were prepared and often sculpted into weird and wonderful forms, all served on solid gold dishes, chalices, wine fountains, punch bowls and salt cellars for the added entertainment of the guests. When it was all over, the commoners were allowed in to eat the leftovers. The last coronation feast was held in 1821 CE.

Instead of feasts we now have live television. In the mid-20th century CE, the coronation of Elizabeth II ignited the imagination of a nation. The ceremony was watched by some 20 million people and for the vast majority of them, it was the first event they ever watched on television. One can imagine the next coronation will be live-streamed around the world giving a view better than the people in Westminster Abbey itself with its notoriously bad sightlines. As the famed diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703 CE) noted on Charles II’s coronation in 1661 CE: “I sat from past 4 until 11 before the King came in…the King passed through all the ceremonies of the Coronation, which to my great grief I and most in the Abbey could not see” (Dixon-Smith, 46). Fortunately, with ever superior camera technology we can look forward to a superb throne-side view of the next coronation, whenever that may be.

END OF THE ARTICLE

[32]

THE INDEPENDENT

CORONATION HOLY OIL: WHAT HAPPENED IN KING CHARLES III’S ANOINTING CEREMONY?

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/coronation-holy-oil-anointing-ceremony-king-charles-b2333852.html

The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla is taking place on Saturday 6 May.

As we approach the big day, Buckingham Palace has been revealing more details about the events that will unfold as Britain crowns a new monarch for the first time in more than 70 years.

The last coronation that took place was that of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Since her death in September 2022, King Charles ascended the throne and the royal family has seen several role changes.

Past coronations have involved a number of traditional rituals. However, it is understood that Charles wishes to have a more modern ceremony and may forego some of the lengthier rituals.

A statement from Buckingham Palace said that His Majesty’s coronation will “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”.

The King will not forego the most sacred part of the ceremony: the anointing of the sovereign. This tradition is so sacred that it was hidden from public view during Queen Elizabeth’s own anointing – and it has been revealed that Charles will do the same.

The holy oil that was traditionally used for coronations past contained civet oil, from the glands of the small mammals, and ambergris from whale intestines. The formula was used at Queen Elizabeth’s ceremony and is hundreds of years old.

However, the holy oil that will be used at Charles’ coronation is vegan-friendly, in order to reflect modern anti-animal cruelty sentiments. It is made with olive oil, pressed just outside Bethlehem, and perfumed with essential oils such as sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber and orange blossom.

The “chrism oil” uses olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge to the east of Jerusalem’s Old City.

The mysterious anointing ceremony, known as the Act of Consecration, will take place before the investiture and crowning, and is carried out by the Archbishop. At Charles’s coronation, the Archbishop of Canterbury will be the one to anoint the King.

According to the Royal Collection Trust, the Archbishop will pour holy oil from the Ampulla (vessel) into the Coronation Spoon, a silver-gilt spoon with an oval bowl and decorated with pearls and engravings. The Ampulla is a solid gold flask in the shape of an eagle, believed to have been crafted in 1661 for the coronation of Charles II.

Westminster Abbey, where the coronation will be held, describes the ampulla and spoon as “the most important” objects used in the ceremony. They have both been used for hundreds of years, with the spoon first recorded in 1349. It is the only piece of royal goldsmith’s work to survive from the 12^th century.

The Archbishop will dip two fingers into the holy oil and anoint the sovereign on the hands, breast and head. This is a tradition that dates back to the Old Testament, in which the anointing of Solomon by Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet is written.

“Anointing was one of the medieval holy sacraments and it emphasised the spiritual status of the sovereign,” the RCT writes on its website.

The monarch was considered to have been appointed directly by God until the 17^th century, a holy role that was confirmed by the anointing. Although monarchs are no longer considered to be divine, the anointing ceremony continues to confirm the monarch as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

During Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, she sat in the Coronation Chair while a gold canopy was held above her by four Knights of the Garter. Hers was the first coronation to have ever been televised, but when the moment of anointing arrived, the canopy was moved to block the Queen from public view.

According to the BBC, as he anointed her, the Archbishop said: “Be thy head anointed with holy oil: as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so be you anointed, blessed and consecrated Queen over the Peoples, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee to rule and govern.”

It is likely the same words will be uttered during Charles’ anointing, replacing the words “Queen over the Peoples” with “King over the Peoples”.

END OF THE ARTICLE

[33]

THE INDEPENDENT

CORONATION HOLY OIL: WHAT HAPPENED IN KING CHARLES III’S ANOINTING CEREMONY?

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/coronation-holy-oil-anointing-ceremony-king-charles-b2333852.html

SEE FOR TEXT NOTE 32

THE INDEPENDENT

”HOLY OIL” DURING KING CHARLES CORONATION

WILL NO LONGER INCLUDE AMBERGIS FROM WHALE INTESTINES

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/coroantion-oil-cruelty-free-b2294771.html

The oil used to anoint the King and Queen Consort Camilla in the coronation on 6 May will be cruelty-free.

This part of the ceremony is said to be one of the most sacred of the day’s rituals but will reflect modern anti-animal cruelty sentiments, according to a statement published by Buckingham Palace.

Previous versions of the “holy oil” have included civet oil, from the glands of small mammals, and ambergris from the intestines of whales.

This oil was used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and is based on a formula that has been used for hundreds of years.

The altered formula for the holy oil for King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla’s coronation reflects concerns about animal cruelty and the need to protect wildlife.

The new formula is made with olive oil, pressed just outside Bethlehem. It has been perfumed with essential oils including sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber, as well as orange blossom.

The “chrism oil” was created using olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge to the east of Jerusalem’s Old City, a place that holds religious importance to Christians.

The anointing of the King is reminiscent of a christening or the ordination into religious orders, with the monarch being symbolically touched with holy oil on the head, chest and hands.

King Charles III has reportedly officially invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to his and the Queen Consort’s coronation this spring.

A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle told The Times that they have received “email correspondence” about the coronation, but no decision has been disclosed about whether they will accept the invitation or not.

It comes after reports that the King may offer the couple a suite of rooms in Buckingham Palace that previously belonged to the Duke of York, after asking them to vacate their UK residence, Frogmore Cottage.

It is understood that the King has instead offered the keys to Frogmore Cottage to his disgraced brother, Prince Andrew, who is said to be “resisting” any attempt to move him out of his current home, the Royal Lodge.

END OF THE ARTICLE

[34]

Despite centuries of past precedents, each monarch brings their own personal touch to their coronation, whether it’s spending lavishly or sticking to a budget, commissioning new music or new Crown Jewels, or, more recently, inviting television cameras into Westminster Abbey”

READER’S DIGEST

THE MOST MEMORABLE IN BRITISH HISTORY

5 MAY 2023

https://www.readersdigest.ca/culture/memorable-coronations-british-history/

On May 6, the coronation of King Charles III will take place at London’s Westminster Abbey. It’s a tradition that’s shaped the history of the monarchy from medieval to modern times—but the ceremony hasn’t always gone according to plan…

A Thousand Years of Coronations

On May 6, King Charles III will be crowned in Westminster Abbey with his consort, Queen Camilla. While Charles became King at the moment of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Sept. 8, 2022, the coronation ceremony serves to symbolize the monarch’s lifelong commitment to the roles of sovereign and supreme Governor of the Church of England. At the event, King Charles III will be crowned King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms (including Canada). He’ll be anointed with holy oil, and will swear to govern as a constitutional monarch according to the laws decided in parliament.

While key traditions associated with modern royal weddings, christenings and jubilees date from Queen Victoria’s reign in the 19th century, the coronation service is much older. It was written by St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury in AD 973, and Westminster Abbey has been the setting for coronations since 1066. Charles III will be the 40th monarch to be crowned there.

Despite centuries of past precedents, each monarch brings their own personal touch to their coronation, whether it’s spending lavishly or sticking to a budget, commissioning new music or new Crown Jewels, or, more recently, inviting television cameras into Westminster Abbey. Here are 12 memorable British royal coronations that shaped the history of the monarchy from medieval to modern times—including a few that did not go according to plan.

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953)

Coronation on Television

The accession of the 25-year-old Queen Elizabeth II on Feb. 6, 1952, symbolized the beginning of “a new Elizabethan age” after the austerity of the Second World War. The decision to invite television cameras into Westminster Abbey to film the whole ceremony (except for the sacred anointing of the monarch) on June 2, 1953, seemed to bring the monarchy into the modern age, allowing audiences around the world to feel as though they were part of this landmark event. More than 250-million people watched on television as Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms, many purchasing television sets for the first time for the occasion and hosting coronation parties. In Westminster Abbey, the four-year-old future King Charles III attended the ceremony, seated between his aunt, Princess Margaret, and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Take a look back at the incredible life of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Coronation of King George VI (1937)

A Change in King

While 16 months passed between Elizabeth II’s accession and coronation, her father, King George VI, didn’t have nearly so long to wait. When Edward VIII abdicated to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, George VI succeeded his brother as King, and was crowned just five months later on Dec. 11, 1936—the day originally scheduled for Edward’s coronation. Under the circumstances, the coronation followed past traditions to emphasize continuity, but there were a few significant departures. For the first time, the coronation was broadcast on the radio and film footage was shown in cinema newsreels. The coronation oath also changed to reflect the equal status of the United Kingdom and Dominions following the 1926 Balfour Declaration and 1931 Statute of Westminster. George VI swore “to govern the peoples of Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa, of your Possessions and the other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, and of your Empire of India, according to their respective laws and customs”—setting the tone for the development of the modern Commonwealth.

Get to know Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren.

The Coronation of King George V (1911)

A New Crown

St. Edward’s Crown has been used at coronations since 1661, but it wasn’t permanently set with precious stones until much more recently. (Instead, gems were loaned by jewellers to decorate the crown for individual coronations, then returned after the ceremony.) For his 1911 coronation, King George V and his consort, Queen Mary, arranged for the crown to be permanently set with 444 precious stones. Queen Mary purchased an Art Deco-inspired crown for her own crowning as Queen consort, and this will be used to crown Queen Camilla at Charles III’s coronation.

George V’s coronation was also notable for the additional events planned around the coronation to showcase the British Empire and the Royal Navy. There was a Coronation Naval Review of the Fleet, which attracted a quarter-million spectators, and a Festival of Empire, which included “Inter-Empire Championships,” the forerunner of the modern Commonwealth Games.

Here are the 10 most memorable royal visits to Canada.

The Coronation of King Edward VII (1902)

A Medical Emergency

When Queen Victoria’s eldest son succeeded to throne in 1901 as King Edward VII at the age of 59, planning his coronation was a challenge. So much time had passed since Victoria’s coronation in 1838 that few people remembered how the ceremony should unfold. Luckily, Victoria’s elderly cousin, Princess Augusta of Cambridge was on hand to provide valuable insights for the planning committee.

Once the plans were in place, they were derailed by a medical emergency. Just two days before the planned coronation on June 26, 1902, Edward VII underwent an emergency operation for appendicitis on a table in the music room of Buckingham Palace. The coronation was rescheduled to Aug. 9. Despite his uncertain health, Edward VII refused suggestions that the ceremony, including the anointing, be condensed, stating, “If I am going to be done, I am going to be done properly.”

Discover 10 Canadian hotels that have hosted royal guests.

The Coronation of Queen Victoria (1838)

Leftovers in Westminster Abbey

The coronation of the 19-year-old Queen Victoria on June 28, 1838, took place without a rehearsal, resulting in numerous mishaps. When the Queen entered St. Edward’s chapel in Westminster Abbey, she found half-eaten sandwiches and empty bottles of wine on the altar, which had been enjoyed by guests involved in the ceremony including Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. An 82-year-old peer named Lord Rolle stumbled on the steps before the throne while paying homage to the Queen and rolled backward, regaining his footing with the Queen’s assistance. Queen Victoria noted another uncomfortable moment in her journal: “The Archbishop had (most awkwardly) put the [coronation] ring on the wrong finger, and the consequence was that I had the greatest difficulty to take it off again, which I at last did with great pain.”

The young Queen’s calm demeanour and good humour during all these unfortunate moments endeared her to the public. Throughout her long reign, Victoria would ensure royal ceremonies were better organized, introducing innovations that continue to the present day.

Here are more Queen Victoria facts most people don’t know.

The Coronation of King William IV (1831)

The Half-Crown Nation

Queen Victoria’s uncle, William IV, was a retired naval officer who had no interest in royal ceremony. Over the course of his seven-year reign, he repeatedly tried to give away Buckingham Palace. (Neither the navy nor parliament was interested.) After first questioning whether a coronation was necessary at all, William ultimately conceded to a simplified ceremony. He agreed to travel to Westminster Abbey in the gold state coach (above) commissioned for the coronation of his father, King George III, but he refused to allow a coronation banquet and wore his admiral’s uniform rather than ceremonial dress. Tory members of parliament who objected to the comparative absence of pomp and circumstance nicknamed the ceremony,“The Half-Crown Nation.”

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The Coronation of King George IV (1821)

No Invitation for the Queen Consort

William IV’s determination to hold a coronation on a budget may have been an effort to distance himself from his unpopular older brother (and predecessor), George IV. Known for his lavish spending, George IV had the most expensive coronation in British history, complete with a new crown decorated with 12,000 diamonds. An enthusiastic collector of French art and furnishings, he also commissioned an exact replica of Napoleon Bonaparte’s lavish coronation robes from a workshop in Paris—a controversial decision in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars.

His coronation would not be remembered for its pageantry, however, but for the King’s refusal to invite the Queen consort to the ceremony. When George IV’s estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick, arrived at Westminster Hall, she was told by the doorman that she could not enter without a ticket. Her efforts to find another entrance were blocked by a line of soldiers. After arguing with numerous officials, the uncrowned consort departed in her carriage as the crowds chanted, “Shame! Shame!” She died two weeks later.

Check out the most scandalous royal memoirs ever published.

The Coronation of King George II (1727)

Coronation Anthems

The coronation of George IV’s great-grandfather, George II, also included extravagant fashions. George II’s Queen consort, Caroline of Ansbach, wore a dress so heavily encrusted with jewels that she required a pulley to lift the skirt so that she could kneel to take communion during the ceremony. The enduring legacy of George II’s coronation, however, was the composition of four choral coronation anthems by George Frederic Handel. The most famous of these anthems, Zadok the Priest, has been sung before the anointing at every subsequent monarch’s coronation.

In 2023, Charles III followed in George II’s footsteps by commissioning new coronation anthems. There will 12 original compositions performed at Charles III’s coronation, including an anthem by Andrew Lloyd Weber.

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The Coronation of Charles II (1661)

New Crown Jewels

The English Civil Wars left the country without a king for 11 years. When Charles II returned to England to reclaim the throne in 1660, a coronation was essential to symbolize the restoration of the monarchy. Unfortunately, only one piece of coronation regalia had survived: the silver anointing spoon acquired by Henry II or his son Richard the Lionheart in the 12th century. Recognizing the urgent need for new Crown Jewels, Charles II commissioned a new St. Edward’s Crown, orb and sceptre from his goldsmith, Sir Edward Vyner—then defaulted on the payments for the regalia following the Stop of the Exchequer in 1672, when the state defaulted on its debts.

After the ceremony, the new Crown Jewels were stored in the Tower of London, where they made a tempting target for thieves. In 1671, an Anglo-Irish officer by the name of Colonel Thomas Blood gained access to the Tower of London disguised as clergyman, overpowered the Master of the Jewel House and stole St. Edward’s Crown. Blood was apprehended on Tower Wharf, shouting, “It was a gallant attempt, however unsuccessful! It was for a crown!” Security at the Tower of London would improve, but attempts to steal the Crown Jewels continue to this day.

Check out current estimates of how much the Crown Jewels are worth.

The Coronation of Henry III (1216 and 1220)

Two Coronations

Charles II wasn’t the only king who scrambled to find a crown in time for his coronation. When Henry III succeeded his father, the villainous King John, at the age of nine, he was left without royal regalia. (John had lost the Crown Jewels when his baggage train overturned in a marsh in 1215, as he hurried to flee rebel barons and a French invasion after repudiating Magna Carta earlier that year.)

The First Barons’ War was still raging when John died suddenly in 1216. With rebel barons and a French army occupying London, Westminster Abbey was not available as a coronation venue. Henry’s supporters hastily organized a ceremony at Gloucester Cathedral where the boy king was crowned with one of his mother’s circlets just 10 days after his father’s death. Neither the young king nor his regents thought this coronation was sufficient to guarantee a monarch’s authority in tumultuous times, so after the First Barons’ War ended and the French were defeated, the teenaged Henry petitioned the Pope for permission to be crowned again. In 1220, Henry III received a traditional coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Test your knowledge with these history questions people always get wrong.

The Coronation of King William I (1066)

Riot on Coronation Day

After William, Duke of Normandy defeated the last Anglo-Saxon English King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he was crowned King William I at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day. When the bishops performing the ceremony asked the English people if they accepted their new King, the crowds shouted their approval—in English. Unfortunately, William’s guards spoke only Norman French and thought they were hearing an assassination attempt. The guards began attacking the crowds and set fire to nearby buildings. Inside Westminster Abbey, the coronation guests panicked and stampeded out of the Abbey before the ceremony was over. The riot at the coronation left the new king so concerned about his personal security that he ordered the construction of the Tower of London as a royal residence, fortress and prison; a historic site which still stands today.

The Coronation of Edgar the Peaceable (973)

1000 Years of Monarchy

In 973, St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote the coronation service for the crowning of the Anglo-Saxon King of England, Edgar the Peaceable, and his consort, Aelfthryth, at Bath Abbey. The ceremony marked the zenith of Edgar’s reign rather than its beginning. By 973, Edgar had been king for 14 years, taking advantage of a lull in Viking attacks to acquire more ships and reform the monasteries.

In 1973, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their children attended a service at Bath Abbey to mark the 1000th anniversary of Edgar the Peaceable’s coronation. When King Charles III is crowned, he will be following in the footsteps of a thousand years of kings and queens who pledged their lifelong commitment to their people in a coronation ceremony.

Next, take a look back at King Charles’s most memorable visits to Canada.

WIKIPEDIA

LIST OF BRITISH CORONATIONS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_coronations

Monarchs of England (900–1603)[edit]

Monarch	Consort	Date of accession	Date of coronation	Presiding cleric
Edward the Elder		26 October 899	Whit Sunday, 8 June 900 Kingston upon Thames	Plegmund, Archbishop of Canterbury
Æthelstan		17 July 924	4 September 925 Kingston upon Thames	Athelm, Archbishop of Canterbury
Edmund I		27 October 939	Possibly 1 December 939 Kingston upon Thames	Oda, Archbishop of Canterbury
Eadred		26 May 946	16 August 946 Kingston upon Thames
Eadwig		23 November 955	26 January 956 Kingston upon Thames
Edgar	Ælfthryth	1 October 959	Whit Sunday, 11 May 973 Bath Abbey	Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury
Edward the Martyr		8 July 975	August 975 Kingston upon Thames	Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury and Oswald, Archbishop of York
Æthelred the Unready		18 March 978	April 978 Kingston upon Thames
Edmund Ironside		23 April 1016	25 April 1016 Old St Paul’s Cathedral	Lyfing, Archbishop of Canterbury
Cnut		30 November 1016	Possibly January 1017 Old St Paul’s Cathedral
Harthacnut		17 March 1040	Possibly June 1040 Canterbury Cathedral	Eadsige, Archbishop of Canterbury
Edward the Confessor		8 June 1042	Easter Sunday, 3 April 1043 Old Minster, Winchester
	Edith of Wessex		January 1045 Old Minster, Winchester
Harold II		5 January 1066	Saturday, 6 January 1066 probably at Westminster Abbey	Ealdred, Archbishop of York or Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury[1]
William I – article	[a]	Nov-Dec 1066	Christmas Day, Monday, 25 December 1066	Ealdred, Archbishop of York
[b]	Matilda of Flanders		Sunday, 11 May 1068
William II	[c]	9 September 1087	Sunday, 26 September 1087	Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury
Henry I	[d]	2 August 1100	Sunday, 5 August 1100	Maurice, Bishop of London
[b]	Matilda of Scotland	11 November 1100 marriage	Sunday, 11 November 1100	Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Adeliza of Louvain	24 January 1121 marriage	Sunday, 30 January 1121	Ralph d’Escures, Archbishop of Canterbury
Stephen	[a]		Thursday, 26 December 1135	William de Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Matilda of Boulogne		Sunday, 22 March 1136	?
Henry II	Eleanor of Aquitaine	25 October 1154	Sunday, 19 December 1154	Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury
Henry the Young King	[a]		Sunday, 14 June 1170	Roger de Pont L’Evêque, Archbishop of York
	Margaret of France		Sunday, 27 August 1172 Winchester Cathedral	Rotrou, Archbishop of Rouen
Richard I	[d]	6 July 1189	Sunday, 3 September 1189	Baldwin of Exeter, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Berengaria of Navarre	12 May 1191 marriage	Sunday, 12 May 1191 Kingdom of Cyprus
John	[d]	6 April 1199	Ascension Day, Thursday, 27 May 1199	Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Isabella of Angoulême	24 August 1200 marriage	Sunday, 8 October 1200
Henry III	[d]	19 October 1216	Friday, 28 October 1216 Church of St. Peter in Gloucester (now Gloucester Cathedral)	Cardinal Guala Bicchieri or Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester
	[d]		Sunday, 17 May 1220	Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Eleanor of Provence	14 January 1236 marriage	Sunday, 20 January 1236	Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury
Edward I	Eleanor of Castile	16 November 1272	Sunday, 19 August 1274	Robert Kilwardby, Archbishop of Canterbury
Edward II	Isabella of France	7 July 1307	Sunday, 25 February 1308	Henry Woodlock, Bishop of Winchester
Edward III	[d]	20 January 1327	Sunday, 1 February 1327	Walter Reynolds, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Philippa of Hainault	24 January 1328 marriage	Sunday, 18 February 1330	Simon Mepeham, Archbishop of Canterbury
Richard II	[d]	21 June 1377	Thursday, 16 July 1377	Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Anne of Bohemia	20 January 1382 marriage	Thursday, 22 January 1382	William Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Isabella of Valois	1 November 1396 marriage	Monday, 8 January 1397	Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury
Henry IV	[d]	30 September 1399	Monday, 13 October 1399
[b]	Joanna of Navarre	7 February 1403 marriage	Monday, 26 February 1403
Henry V	[d]	20 March 1413	Sunday, 9 April 1413
[b]	Catherine of Valois	2 June 1420 marriage	Sunday, 23 February 1421	Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury
Henry VI	[d]	31 August 1422	Sunday, 6 November 1429
	[d]	21 October 1422	Sunday, 16 December 1431 as King of France Notre Dame de Paris	Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester
[b]	Margaret of Anjou	23 April 1445 marriage	Sunday, 30 May 1445	John Stafford, Archbishop of Canterbury
Edward IV	[d]	4 March 1461	Sunday, 28 June 1461	Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Elizabeth Woodville	1 May 1464 marriage	Sunday, 26 May 1465
Richard III	Anne Neville	25 June 1483	Sunday, 6 July 1483
Henry VII	[d]	22 August 1485	Sunday, 30 October 1485
[b]	Elizabeth of York	18 January 1486	Sunday, 25 November 1487	John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury
Henry VIII – article	Catherine of Aragon	21 April 1509 (King) 11 June 1509 (Queen) marriage	Sunday, 24 June 1509	William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury
[b]	Anne Boleyn– article	28 May 1533 marriage	Sunday, 1 June 1533	Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
Edward VI – article	[c]	28 January 1547	Sunday, 20 February 1547
Mary I – article	[d]	19 July 1553	Sunday, 1 October 1553	Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester
Elizabeth I – article	[c]	17 November 1558	Sunday, 15 January 1559	Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle

Monarchs of England, Ireland and Scotland (1603–1707)[edit]

From 1603 onwards England, Ireland and Scotland were personally united under the same ruler (see Personal union).

Monarch	Consort	Date of accession	Time intervening	Date of coronation	Presiding cleric
James VI and I – article	Anne of Denmark	24 March 1602/1603, O.S.[g]	4 mo 1 d	Monday, 25 July 1603, O.S.	John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury
Charles I	[h]	27 March 1625, O.S.	10 mo 6 d	Thursday, 2 February 1625/1626, O.S.[g]	George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury
Charles II	[d]	30 January 1648/1649, O.S.[g] (de jure) 8 May 1660, O.S. (de facto)	11 mo 15 d	Saint George’s Day, Tuesday, 23 April 1661, O.S.	William Juxon, Archbishop of Canterbury
James II and VII	Mary of Modena	6 February 1684/1685, O.S.[g]	2 mo 17 d	Saint George’s Day, Thursday, 23 April 1685, O.S.	William Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury
William III and II and Mary II	(reigned jointly)	13 February 1688/1689, O.S.[g]	1 mo 29 d	Thursday, 11 April 1689, O.S.	Henry Compton, Bishop of London
Anne	[i]	8 March 1701/1702, O.S.[g]	1 mo 15 d	Thursday, 23 April 1702, O.S.	Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury

Monarchs of Great Britain and Ireland (1707–1801)[edit]

Monarch	Consort	Date of accession	Time intervening	Date of coronation	Presiding cleric
George I	[j]	1 August 1714, O.S.	2 mo 19 d	Wednesday, 20 October 1714, O.S.	Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury
George II – article	Caroline of Ansbach	11 June 1727, O.S.	4 mo	Wednesday, 11 October 1727, O.S.	William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury
George III – article	Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz	25 October 1760 (King) 8 September 1761 (Queen) marriage	10 mo 28 d 14 d	Tuesday, 22 September 1761	Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury

Monarchs of the United Kingdom (1801–present)[edit]

Monarch	Consort	Date of accession	Time intervening	Date of coronation	Presiding cleric
George IV – article	[k]	29 January 1820	1 y 5 mo 20 d	Thursday, 19 July 1821	Charles Manners-Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury
William IV – article	Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen	26 June 1830	1 y 2 mo 13 d	Thursday, 8 September 1831	William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury
Victoria – article	[d][i]	20 June 1837	1 y 8 d	Thursday, 28 June 1838
Edward VII – article	Alexandra of Denmark	22 January 1901	1 y 6 mo 18 d	Saturday, 9 August 1902[l]	Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury
George V – article	Mary of Teck	6 May 1910	1 y 1 mo 16 d	Thursday, 22 June 1911	Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury
Edward VIII – article	[m]	20 January 1936	1 y 3 mo 22 d	Wednesday, 12 May 1937 (cancelled due to his abdication)	Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury
George VI – article	Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon	11 December 1936	5 mo 1 d	Wednesday, 12 May 1937[n]
Elizabeth II – article	[i]	6 February 1952	1 y 3 mo 27 d	Tuesday, 2 June 1953	Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury
Charles III – article	Camilla Shand	8 September 2022	7 m 28 d	Saturday, 6 May 2023	Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

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SEE NOTES 24 AND 25