It was an honour as our Tasmanian Governor to represent Tasmania at the Coronation and other events in London.
Prior to the Coronation, I attended a breakfast with the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Nicholas Lyons; a lunch at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office with the Minister of State Indo-Pacific, the Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan; and an evening reception for foreign guests at Buckingham Palace, where many politicians, ambassadors and royalty were present. The other Australian Vice-Regal representatives also attended these events. After the Coronation, I attended a reception and Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle. Finally, I attended a private Audience with The King.
At the Coronation, I joined some 2,200 other guests at Westminster Abbey, including members and descendants of the British Royal family and of 29 other royal families, including our Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. There were many UK political leaders, peers of the Realm, officials from British dependencies and overseas territories. I was one of the many representatives from the over 50 Commonwealth Realms and other nations.
Many thousands of people lined the streets and gave London an atmosphere of excitement about the impending Coronation. Despite the rain, hundreds of people camped in the Mall to get a good view on the day.
Security was intense and most streets were closed off: about 12 thousand armed London Metropolitan Police were supported by other security personnel. Barriers and cameras were everywhere. I was informed that face recognition technology was deployed.
My day started at 4:30 am to meet the other Australian governors to travel together to Westminster Abbey. Due to street closures and security, it took time to get around even a few streets, and there was much waiting prior to the service. We sat together in the South Transept, behind the Governors-General of the Realms and our Prime Minister the Honourable Anthony Albanese. We had a clear view of the members of the Royal Family walking into the Abbey. It was fascinating to see President Emmanuel Macron and Mrs Macron walk past us to sit behind us.
The Coronation has a long tradition, dating back to William the Conqueror in 1066. The King’s Coronation was conducted by the Church of England, but the service was altered from past Coronations, including the service of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation, in that it was represented by multiple faiths, cultures and communities across the UK. The procession into the Abbey was led by leaders and representatives from non-Christian religions, including Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Shia and Sunni Muslim, and Sikh, among others. Religious leaders other than the Church of England delivered greetings of unison at the end of the service.
The Coronation ceremony had six phases: the Recognition, with King Charles presented to the people and recognised as the Monarch; the Oath, with The King stating to uphold the law and maintain the Church of England; the Anointing, with The King anointed with holy oil; the Investiture, investing The King with the Coronation regalia, and the Crowning of St Edward’s Crown; the Enthronement, and the Homage from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Prince of Wales.
The Queen was then invested, anointed, crowned and enthroned. The King and Queen ended the service by taking Holy Communion before proceeding out of the Abbey.
The Coronation music was memorable with twelve new pieces commissioned for the service. A new Coronation Anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber was performed, with works by Handel and Elgar, among others.
On the following day, a reception and the Coronation Concert was held at Windsor Castle, which formed the backdrop for the Concert. Volunteers from the King’s and Queen’s charities were in the audience and 5,000 pairs of free tickets were allocated by a national ballot. Together with well-known singers and musicians, the Coronation Choir, made up of community choirs and amateur singers, performed. The lighting for the event, with lasers, drone displays and illuminations, was spectacular.
Last, but not least, my time in London concluded with a private Audience with The King at Buckingham Palace. It is usual for a governor to have an audience with the Monarch early in their appointment period. We discussed Tasmania and topics of mutual interest and presented as gifts to The King of Government House Tasmania Estate honey and gin, and a hand-crafted Tasmanian devil-motif wooden box in various timber veneers, purchased at Hobart’s Salamanca precinct.