After living his whole life as the successor to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles III finally met his destiny on Saturday as he was formally anointed king in the country's first coronation since 1953.
The solid gold St. Edward's Crown, a revered and historic representation of the monarch's power, was put on Charles's head by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at 12:02 p.m.
At the height of the solemn ecclesiastical confirmation of his ascension, trumpet fanfares and cries of "God Save the King" erupted from the 2,300-person Westminster Abbey crowd.
Outside, churches all around the nation rang their bells in jubilation as ceremonial cannon salutes boomed out across land and sea.
The lead-up to the 1,000-year-old Christian event of prayer and praise, complete with magnificent regalia and opulent robes, has largely been joyous.
However, police detained hundreds of demonstrators before Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, even left Buckingham Palace for a soggy procession to the abbey. They did this by utilizing new powers that were hurriedly added to the law book to target direct action organizations.
Climate campaigners Just Stop Oil said that 19 of their number were being imprisoned, while the anti-monarchy organization Republic—which calls for an elected head of state—said six of its organizers were detained.
On the parade route, however, scores of Republic activists hoisted banners that said, "Not My King."
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have expressed alarm over the arrests. According to HRW, this is something you would anticipate seeing in Moscow rather than London.
The Metropolitan Police of London has around 11,500 policemen on the streets as part of one of its largest security operations ever. Having an "extremely low threshold" for demonstrations, it has issued a warning.
It was the first crowning of a king since 1937 and the first in 70 years. It was just the second to be shown on television and the first to be streamed online in color.
Changes
The 39 other kings who have been crowned at Westminster Abbey since its construction would have recognized a large portion of the two-hour Anglican liturgy during which Charles promised, "I come not to be served but to serve."
Although many of the elaborate customs and ceremonies used to commemorate Charles as his people's "undoubted king" were kept, the king tried to modernize other elements of the service.
First-time participants included female bishops and representatives of Britain's non-Christian religions. Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Irish Gaelic were also heavily represented.
A Greek chorus chanted a hymn in remembrance of Charles's late father, Prince Philip, who was born on the island of Corfu, while a gospel choir performed for the first time during a coronation.
Charles has referred to himself as a "committed Anglican Christian" and is the head of the Church of England.
However, he governs a nation that is more racially and religiously diverse than the one his mother took over in the wake of World War II.
As a result, he invited regular citizens to sit alongside heads of state and international monarchies in an effort to make the congregation more representative of British society.
Another change was that the themes of the coronation reflected his lifelong passion for sustainability and biodiversity.
To decorate the abbey, seasonal flowers and greenery were transported from the wind-whipped Isle of Skye in northwest Scotland to Cornwall at the southernmost edge of England.
Recycled ceremonial clothing from past coronations was utilized, and the vegan anointing oil was made from olives harvested from Mount of Olives olive orchards and scented with essential oils.
Behind a three-sided screen in front of the High Altar, Charles was anointed away from the assembly while being accompanied by the stirring song "Zadok the Priest" by Handel, which has been sung during every coronation since 1727.
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