King Charles III has been crowned in a coronation which will go down in history. A short time after His Majesty was anointed with the holy oil, he sat in his throne to take the crown for the first time.
The service itself, which was watched by millions across the globe, is a defining moment in his reign and in the history of the British monarchy after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
There were several stages to the coronation in a service that began at 11am and lasted for two hours. Charles was presented to those gathered in the Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury as he stood by the 700-year-old coronation chair.
© Getty ImagesThe King took his oath, swearing to uphold the law and the Church of England before the anointing. At this point, Charles's ceremony robe was removed as he took his seat on the chair. A gold cloth was held over the chair to conceal the King from view.
© GettyThe Archbishop of Canterbury then anointed Charles's hands, breast and head with holy oil made according to a secret recipe, but known to contain ambergris, orange flowers, roses, jasmine and cinnamon.
© Getty ImagesFor the investiture, the King put on a sleeveless white garment called the Colobium Sindonis and an embroidered band of gold silk to wear around his shoulders, known as the Coronation Stole. He was then presented with items including the Royal Orb, representing religious and moral authority; the Sceptre, representing power; and the Sovereign's Sceptre, a rod of gold topped with a white enamelled dove, a symbol of justice and mercy.
Finally, the Archbishop placed St Edward's Crown on the King's head. Charles then left the Coronation Chair and moved to the throne as peers kneeled before the monarch to pay homage.
© GettyThe Queen Consort was then anointed in the same way and crowned. The King put on layer upon layer of heavy ceremonial robes throughout the ceremony – one of which he was helped into by his eldest son, Prince William. For the crowning, he was given a long shimmering gold-sleeved coat to wear called the Supertunica.
At the end of the service, the King changed into George VI's purple Robe of Estate to leave the Abbey. The service included the first Homage of the People – a modern addition to the ancient ceremony that will see people across the UK and overseas realms invited to swear an oath of allegiance to Charles.
© GettyWhen the service ended, the newly crowned King and Queen embarked on their coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach via the tried and tested route of Parliament Square, along Whitehall, around Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch and down The Mall, arriving back at Buckingham Palace ahead of the flypast.
© Getty ImagesThe King's Coronation Procession stretches to just 1.3 miles – around a quarter of the length of the late Queen's five-mile celebratory journey.
