King Charles III Officially Crowned During Coronation at Westminster Abbey

The ceremony took place on Saturday in London, England.

On Saturday, King Charles III was officially anointed and crowned as the King of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, England. 

During the proceedings, the archbishop placed the St. Edward's Crown atop of the royal's head. A tradition since the 17th century, the crown was created for his namesake predecessor, King Charles II, in 1661, and is modeled after the original medieval crown, and features four crosses-pattée, four fleurs-de-lis, and two arches, mounted on a deep purple velvet cap and ermine band. The crown is inlayed with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes, and tourmalines.

The crowning came while King Charles was seated in the coronation chair after pledging an oath of dedication to his duties as King of the United Kingdom. At the time, he was also vested with various garments and a sword belt worn by monarchs in past coronations.  

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After he was crowned, Prince William then pledged his allegiance to him before the public was invited to pay homage to his father, now the king. 

King Charles III's coronation on Saturday formalized his role as the head of the Church of England and marked the transfer of his title and powers. 

His wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, will also be anointed and crowned as queen. Camilla will be the first divorcee to be crowned, and the coronation invitation that was released in April made headlines when it referred to her as Queen Camilla for the first time. Until then, she had been described as queen consort.

Prince Harry will be attending the coronation despite public family tension, though without his wife, Meghan Markle. Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, which was released in December, and the duke's bestselling memoir, Spare, which was released in January, were critical of the royal family and shared intimate details from the couple's perspective.

Meghan will be staying at her and Harry's home in Montecito, California, with the couple's two children -- son Archie, who is turning 4 on the day of the coronation and daughter Lilibet, 1. Despite Harry and Meghan's estrangement from the royal family, the couple is featured in the official souvenir program celebrating the coronation, which includes a happy photo of the family -- including Prince WilliamKate Middleton and their three kids, Prince GeorgePrincess Charlotte and Prince Louis -- celebrating King Charles' 70th birthday.

Although the actual anointment during the coronation ceremony is not broadcast publicly, plenty of special programming and live footage from the ceremony will be available to watch live on May 6, starting at 5 a.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. Audiences will also be able to view coverage on CBS News, including the concert featuring Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on Sunday, May 7. Additionally, others can watch the coronation online on these streaming platforms.

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