Adrian Wooldridge, Columnist

What Science Says About the Coronation of Charles III

The ceremony is a reaffirmation of the bonds that tie us together. Emile Durkheim told us as much.

St Edward's Crown

Photographer: Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library
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On May 6, a 74-year-old eccentric will be crowned king of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms following the longest apprenticeship in history. The Archbishop of Canterbury will anoint Charles with holy oil, made according to a secret recipe, and present him with various symbolic objects, including an orb and a scepter. He will then place a heavy gold crown on the king’s head (so heavy in fact that it can only be worn briefly).

Camilla will then be anointed and crowned in the same way as the Queen Consort.