Britain's King Charles III crowned in London with President Higgins, Taoiseach in attendance
Joe Britain's Picture: Wire Giddens/pa Iii King Charles
Britain's King Charles III has been crowned the UK's monarch and prayed to be a “blessing” to people of “every faith and conviction”.
King Charles became the 40th reigning sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey, Britain's coronation church since 1066, as Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby placed St Edward’s Crown on his head.
The historic moment, watched around the globe, was a fulfilment of the king’s destiny, but followed the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, last September after a 70-year reign.
In a touching moment, Prince William pledged himself to his father the king, kissing him on the cheek and touching St Edward’s Crown.
As Prince William knelt before King Charles, who held his son’s hand between his palms, the future monarch said: “I, William, Prince of Wales, pledge my loyalty to you and faith and truth I will bear unto you, as your liege man of life and limb. So help me God.”
The king’s younger son Prince Harry was among the congregation, sitting two rows behind his brother with Prince Andrew's family, and he was seen intently watching the crowning.
And when a few minutes later the congregation was invited pay homage to the new monarch, Prince Harry was seen, along with the other royals around him, speaking the words: “God save King Charles. Long live King Charles. May the King live forever.”
The coronation was a deeply religious ceremony steeped in symbolism and its prayers took the theme of “Called to Serve”, an attribute associated with the late Queen who pledged her life to the Commonwealth.
Before the crowning the archbishop delivered a sermon to the 2,300 guests, a gathering of world leaders, celebrities, politicians, foreign royalty, everyday heroes and the royal family.
Invited guests included President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, French president Emmanuel Macron, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, British prime minister Rishi Sunak and US First Lady Jill Biden but her husband Joe Biden will not be attending. Celebrities including David and Victoria Beckham, musician Lionel Richie and actress Emma Thompson are also set to attend.
President Higgins is the first Irish head of state to attend a coronation.
To mark the event, President Higgins and Sabina requested the Tree Council of Ireland plant a native Irish oak tree in the woodland forest of Aurora in Co Wicklow.
The gesture was to acknowledge the king’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
In a statement before the coronation, Mr Varadkar said the king and queen "are long-standing friends of Ireland and King Charles has visited regularly in the past two decades, supporting good bilateral relations, co-operation, peace and reconciliation".
"I expressed my hope that his regular visits will continue into his reign. I was pleased to accept the invitation to attend the coronation, alongside President Higgins, symbolising the close neighbourly relations between our two countries. This is a historic moment for the British people, for the realm, and for their friends around the world.
Mr Varadkar added that he looks forward to "further strengthening British-Irish relations and the friendship between our peoples and look forward to welcoming the royal couple to Ireland in due course".
The day will be a display of pomp and pageantry, with Britain's Armed Forces promising a “spectacular” event when the king and Queen Camila process through the streets of the capital.
The event is the military’s largest ceremonial operation since Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation, with 9,000 servicemen and women deployed and 7,000 of these performing ceremonial and supporting roles.