Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

What it was really like inside the Abbey

What it was really like inside the Abbey

This was history in the making - and you had to pinch yourself to think you were seeing it close-up, inside Westminster Abbey.

Over there was the battered but rather beautiful Coronation chair, with a King about to be crowned. It looked almost fragile waiting for its royal occupant.

You could feel the sense of expectation. It was really happening right here, on an altar full of candlelight, prayers and a glow of gold. The Abbey was like being inside a jewel box.

The first Coronation in 70 years proved to be a sumptuous, seamless and often surreal ceremony.

Before 2,300 guests, King Charles and Queen Camilla went through the ancient rituals, with a twist of modern signals about diversity.

But it was also like a spectacularly lavish wedding, with friends, families and famous faces crowded into every corner of the church, playing with their phones, checking to see who else was there.

And where else would international royalty, world leaders and 100 overseas heads of state get an opportunity to meet Ant and Dec?

The King is crowned in the 700-year-old Coronation chair


There were glamorous outfits and hats, splashes of military uniforms with epaulettes, plumes and swords, clerical robes and every shade and shape of national dress. The selfies on the way in were going to prove that they'd really been here.

There were traditional roles with baffling titles such as Bluemantle Pursuivant and Rouge Dragon Pursuivant and a number of men seemed to be entirely dressed in medieval flags.

Walking down the nave when he arrived, the King seemed to be pausing to take it all in.

What was he thinking, after all the decades that he'd been waiting for this day? Was he thinking about his mother, his own family, the responsibility?

When the Archbishop of Canterbury appeared to give the crown a couple of twists on his head, the King might have been thinking less charitable thoughts.

A guest in the Abbey takes a selfie with Ant and Dec


And the only person who could have stolen the King's show was possibly Penny Mordaunt, the lord president of the council, who hovered around the high altar looking like a deity who had escaped from an ancient Greek urn.

But the King must have been delighted with the music, not least because he'd chosen it himself, like all of this elaborate ceremony. It was like a big work of art and he was its creator.

At close quarters in the abbey, the orchestra and choir were remarkable, the music welling up like a tidal wave of sound. It was bouncing off the stained glass windows.

The piece by William Byrd had all the aching melancholy and stillness that you suspect King Charles would really have enjoyed. Handel's Zadok the Priest, full of drama and anticipation, was a real spine-tingler.

There was also the most eclectic collection of people in the congregation. There were hundreds of charity workers, US First Lady Jill Biden, President Macron and rows of celebrities, such as Joanna Lumley, Maggie Smith, Stephen Fry, and hello, it's Lionel Ritchie.

Many of the guests had been inside the abbey for hours before it started, which meant some of the best-dressed queues ever seen for the toilets. I'd never really thought about the mechanics of such a visit for a peer in floor-length robes and ermine.

It was a lavish and colourful spectacle in the Abbey


There had been stories about MPs complaining about a lack of tickets for the Coronation. Part of the problem might be there are now so many ex-PMs to accommodate. Even Liz Truss got a seat.

Boris Johnson arrived looking like his shirt collars were staging their own backbench rebellion.

The current PM, Rishi Sunak, had a speaking part, delivering the Bible lesson.

For those hoping to watch any body language between Prince Harry and his brother Prince William, there was nothing to see, as they may as well have been sitting a continent apart.

Harry arrived looking relaxed and chatty, despite this being a huge transatlantic flying visit, and was seated a couple of rows behind Prince William, the Prince of Wales.

Prince Harry was heading back to the US straight after the service


The older brother, who must have been thinking that one day he'll face his own Coronation, was more engaged in his own role in the ceremony.

There seemed to be glances exchanged too between the husband and wife at the centre of this event, who were maybe having the big public wedding they didn't have before.

King Charles now has his Queen Camilla beside him. It took them about half an hour to get to the Abbey in the morning, but their journey to this point has taken them decades.

It's impossible to go into Westminster Abbey without feeling the weight of history on every side. It seeps from every plaque and statue. Even the clothes had a story. The King was wearing a robe that had been his grandfather's and Catherine was wearing earrings that had been Diana's.

Many guests might have been remembering being here at the late Queen's funeral, which eight months ago went out through the same doors as today's newly-crowned couple.

The King and Queen left the Abbey in the Gold State Coach


Such grand occasions, snapshots for the history books, are where the past, present and future overlap.

With the music soaring and the guests on their feet, the King and Queen left the Abbey to step inside the crown-on-wheels that is the Gold State Coach, with umbrellas up against the rain.

The carriage pulled away, past a sea of waving camera phones, and another era had begun.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×