10 sights you'll see at King Charles' coronation — and 2 you won't
LONDON — Pomp and pageantry? Check. Flag-waving tourists? Check. A modern monarchy able to revamp a medieval ritual into something accessible to a younger, more diverse United Kingdom? Maybe.
King Charles III's coronation Saturday will have a shorter parade route, a role for all Britons rather than only aristocrats — and a nod to the country's myriad faiths.
It's also likely to have protesters upset about the more than $125 million price tag for U.K. taxpayers during a painful cost-of-living crisis.
And it might rain.
Here are 10 sights you'll see at this weekend's coronation — and two you likely won't.
What you will see
1) Crowns, obviously
King Charles will be crowned with St. Edward's Crown, named for the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, Edward the Confessor. He lived in the 11th century, but the crown was made some 600 years later in 1661, for King Charles II.
It's solid gold, a foot tall, capped with velvet, lined with ermine and encrusted with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, topazes, tourmalines and a garnet. It's heavy — nearly 5 pounds. "It weighs a ton!" recalled the late Queen Elizabeth II, who wore the St. Edward's Crown for her 1953 coronation.
It's worn only a short time by British monarchs at their coronations. It'll be in use for about an hour on Saturday and then be put back into storage at the Tower of London.
But it may be the most recognizable of the royals' many crowns: Its silhouette is part of the coat of, police badges and mailboxes.
