The Coronation of The King and Queen Consort
The Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort took place on Saturday, 6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey.
Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, attended the Coronation of His Majesty The King and The Queen at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6 May.
Her Excellency also joined Their Majesties and other guests for a Reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday, 5 May, and a celebratory concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday, 7 May.
History:
The Coronation is centred around a solemn religious ceremony that has remained largely unchanged for over a thousand years.
For the last 900 years, the ceremony has taken place at Westminster Abbey, London and is traditionally conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Coronation of a new Sovereign takes place in the months after their accession, following a period of mourning.
During the ceremony, the Sovereign will take the coronation oath, they are then blessed and consecrated by the Archbishop while seated in King Edward’s chair which was made in 1300 and has been used in every Coronation since 1626).
After receiving the orb and sceptre, the Archbishop places St Edward’s Crown on the Sovereign’s head.
A Queen Consort is crowned in a similar but simpler ceremony following The King.
Coronation Activities
Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, attended the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6 May.
On the morning of Friday 5th May, Her Excellency joined other Australian Governors at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress of the City of London, Alderman Nicholas and Mrs Felicity Lyons, and later for a luncheon hosted by the Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
In the evening of Friday, 5 May. Her Excellency joined Their Majesties and other guests for a Reception at Buckingham Palace.
On Sunday 7 May, Her Excellency joined Their Majesties and other guests at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle.
Across the month of May, there will be opportunities for South Australians to come together in celebration of this historic occasion.
On Friday, 5 May, the grounds of Government House opened for a special Lunch on the Lawns with the first opportunity for members of the public to inscribe messages of congratulations to Their Majesties in books provided for this purpose.
The books will be available at Government House until Sunday, 21 May and an online book will also be available here. All messages will be collated and sent to Buckingham Palace.
Lunch on the Lawns not only featured performances by the 10th/27th Battalion, Royal South Australian Regiment Band, but, in addition, the State Opera South Australia performed selections from Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore.
Pinafore has delighted audiences since 1879 and was performed for Queen Elizabeth II and the then Prince Charles at Windsor Castle on June 16, 1977, during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Year.
On Coronation Day itself, the congratulations books were available at Government House from 10am to 4pm.
Her Excellency and Mr Bunten encouraged members of the public to view the Royal Purple lights on the façade of Government House, which were on from sunset to 10pm each evening from Saturday, 6 May to Tuesday, 9 May.
The illuminations will continue through to Wednesday, 10 May, when Her Excellency and Mr Bunten will host a State Reception celebrating the Coronation at Government House.
Government House will also open its doors and gardens to the public on Sunday, 21 May for a special Open Day to celebrate the Coronation and His Majesty’s connections with South Australia.
A selection of memorabilia and photos from His Majesty’s six visits to South Australia will be on display, as will Her Excellency’s invitation to the Coronation and other items from the event, including Her Excellency’s outfits which have been commissioned from South Australian designers especially for the event.
A stand of commemorative wattle trees will also be planted in the grounds of Government House to commemorate the Coronation.