Coronation Draft reflection

A recent article published on the BBC News website asked if the Coronation this weekend is 

necessary? The short answer is no. Legally Charles became King at his mother’s death, ‘The 

Queen/ King is dead, long live the King!’, so goes the ancient acclamation. Indeed, King George 

VIII reigned for a few months before abdicating despite never having been crowned. But the 

Coronation is more than just about legality, it is about sign and symbol, in particular it is about 

sacramental meaning. 

Let me be clear, the Coronation is not one of the Seven Sacraments of the Church, but it has 

spiritual significance. Taking a step back for a moment, you may have seen the 1981 film 

‘Excalibur’. The film tells the story of King Arthur from his mysterious conception between Uther 

Pendragon and the wife of the Duke of Cornwall, to his death. As part of the film, it becomes 

apparent that the fortunes of the King and the Land are intimately linked, and towards the end 

as the king’s health fails so to does the welfare of the land which falls into famine and evil. A 

similar motif can be found throughout popular culture, think of the first and the last Harry Potter 

films. All is light following the apparent disappearance of Voldemort, but by film six and his resurrection all is darkness, light and joy only being restored at his death.

I am not for one moment suggesting that King Charles’s coronation and the welfare of our land 

are somehow interlinked! However, there will be sacramental symbolism as part of it, symbolism 

that sees Charles and the nation married, first through the giving of the Coronation ring which is 

placed on the fourth ‘ring’ finger, second through his anointing with sacred oil of Chrism. The oil 

of Chrism for instance is a sacramental sign of the giving of the Holy Spirit, first at Baptism/ 

Confirmation, then at the Ordination of Priests, and the ring is a natural symbol of marriage, first 

between two people, each of which are Sacraments. Thus, there is a sacramental significance to the Coronation.

Other sacramental symbols used in the Coronation include garments similar to the Priestly Alb representing purity, the Deacon’s Dalmatic representing service, and Stole representing Christ’s authority and yoke of service. Then come the Orb, a ball of gold surmounted with a cross representing Christ’s rule and empire, followed by the sceptres which represent justice and  righteousness. Finally, following the crowning comes the Communion where the King and Queen Consort offer bread and wine in representation of Abraham and Sarah(i) who offered to Melchizedek Priest-King of (Jeru)Salem gifts of bread and wine. (The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that Melchizedek is a prefiguring of Christ.

Each of these symbols reminds the bearer that they are both ruler and protector of their people, 

but also subject themselves to Christ the eternal High Priest and King, and that the measure of 

justice they use to judge will be the one used to judge them also. Following all this the newly 

Crowned King is shown to the people who acclaim him as their ruler. In this I am reminded of Christ standing before the crowd on Good Friday, he stands as their King and yet is condemned, and bears the weight of the world’s sin on his shoulders. To be a King might mean living in a royal palace with servants but is also a gilded prison with every moment accounted for.

So, to return to the original question set by the BBC, No the Coronation service is far from being 

necessary, Charles became King at the moment of his mother’s death. But humans are more 

than mere creatures of utility, we need symbolism to help us make sense of the world around us. 

The Coronation places the meaning of Kingship into context, and behind the crown and jewelled 

robes we see someone who is called to walk in the way of Christ, who comes not to be served 

but to serve.

Fr Matt Drummond