8 September 2022: I want to start from this date to talk about the event that will turn its eyes to the United Kingdom again within a month. I was in Egypt, enjoying my well-deserved vacation, when, over lunch, Buckingham Palace issued a statement that would change all of our lives. I remember very well the tightness in my stomach, as if I already knew what was going to happen next. But I decide to think positively, I enjoy the last hours of the sun, and then go up to my room to get ready for dinner and the following night at the disco. But as soon as I get out of the shower, I turn on the phone and there is the notification that nobody wants to read: London Bridge is down. This is the wording to indicate the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She, the Queen of records, the one who had become the symbol of a nation, had suddenly reached her beloved Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, leaving a void that will be difficult to fill.
The throne, the scepter and all the burdens passed rightfully into the hands of her eldest son, the infinite Prince of Wales, the new King Charles III. And, today, April 6, exactly 30 days after her coronation, we will analyze a rite that most of us will see for the first time, while the luckiest will remember Elizabeth's and will be able to make comparisons (see my grandmothers).
So let's get started right away.
As with everything in the UK, everything related to the royal family is over-organized. The ceremony that will be staged next month has been the same for centuries - except for last minute changes made by King Charles III - inspired by that of King Edgar in 973. The event will be a real religious ceremony to be held in the 'Westminster Abbey, officiated by the next man next to the King, the Archbishop of Canterbury. It will be a sacred ceremony like any other rite that takes place in a Church, in which the Archbishop will ask the new ruler: "Do you want to keep the laws of God and profess the Holy Gospel? Do you want to keep the UK in the Protestant Reformed religion as established by law?”
But what does Protestant Reformed Religion mean?
To understand the meaning, we need to take a step back in time, precisely to 1534, when King Henry VIII asked Pope Clement VII for a derogation from canon law to marry the very famous Anna Boleyn, which however will never be granted to him. Faced with this refusal, Henry decided to proclaim himself Head of the Church of England, marrying not twice but three times (Spoiler from this much-discussed marriage, the first great queen that the United Kingdom has ever had will be born: Elizabeth I).
Subsequently he will make him swear on the Bible by reciting the following formula: "Here is wisdom, here is the law of kings, this is the living oracle of God". Subsequently the monarch is anointed with sacred oils - famous is the scene from the Netflix series "The Crown", in which the never-crowned King, Edward VIII, during the coronation ceremony of his niece, Elizabeth II, while watching it on TV from his couch in France with a group of friends, has a conversation with one of the participants, which reads as follows:
“Why can't we see him?”
“Because we are mortals.”
"It is madness"
“On the contrary, it makes perfect sense. Who asks for transparency when he can have magic? Who wants prose when they can have poetry? If you take off the veil what is left? A young woman of modest ability and little imagination. But if you wrap it like this and anoint it with sacred oils, et voilà. A goddess."
Here, after this scene, which took place in the first season of the famous series, I have very high expectations for what will happen on May 6th. Above all because it is a real liturgy, which serves to create, in fact, a new person, half layman and half priest.
A few months ago, the official coronation emblem of King Charles III was unveiled, created by Sir Jony Ive and his LoveFrom group. But let's analyze it better.
It immediately catches the eye that the colors used for the creation of the emblem, namely blue, white and red, are a clear reference to the Union Jack, the English flag. But there is another detail that can be traced: the new king's love for nature, through the use of the flora of the United Kingdom. Indeed, we can trace: the rose which is the symbol of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil symbol of Wales and, finally, the clover of Northern Ireland. The symbols are arranged to form the St Edward's Crown, with which the king will be crowned. But what do these symbols represent? Let's analyze them together:
• The Rose of England: also known as the Tudor rose, symbol of the post-war peace of the Two Roses, it does not actually exist in nature; it is formed by two ancient roses with "five" petals, which unites the red rose of Lancaster, which welcomes the white rose of York, which has always been the two dynasties in opposition for the throne.
• The thistle of Scotland: it represents the sun but also the harsh nature of the Highlands, but at the same time, in the Christian context, it symbolizes the suffering of martyrdom.
• The Narcissus of Wales: This flower is worn on St David's Day, who is the patron saint of the country.
• Shamrock: It is Ireland's national plant worn on St Patrick's Day, but at the same time its leaves represent the Trinity.
In addition to the coronation crest, the invitation to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla was also issued. I must say that she positively surprised me, I was expecting an archaic invitation, with dark colors, instead it is a beautiful floral invitation, very spring-like, with many symbols that recall British culture and beyond.
The invitation for the Coronation has been designed by Andrew Jamieson. Mr Jamieson is a Brother of the Art Workers' Guild, of which The King is an Honorary Member. The original artwork for the invitation was hand-painted in watercolor and gouache, and the design will be reproduced and printed on recycled card, with gold foil detailing.
Little spoiler, we've all been waiting for: HRH Prince George of Wales will be his grandfather King Charles' page of honour.
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