Saturday, May 6, millions worldwide watched the anticipated coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camila. The event took place at the historic Westminster Abbey as Charles became the 40th monarch crowned at the site. The ceremony included attendance from celebrities and global figures, such as First Lady Jill Biden.

Rain and gloom did not deter thousands in the persistent crowd waiting outside Westminster Abbey. After the death of King Charles III’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, the succession became the first in 70 years. Generations made their own memories and witnessed the ceremony in real-time etched with tradition and grandeur. The monumental event included 4,000 troops and a collective of British armed forces flying over the procession back to Buckingham Palace, the residence of the new king. Securing their titles, both King Charles III and Queen Camila stepped out on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, waving to the cheering crowd below.

“I actually saw the last coronation in 1953. The coronation itself is just a time if you want the people of Britain to show up and show out. It’s an event after hundreds of years of tradition and everything else so it’s certainly a great ceremony and it’s symbolic to bring the people together,”  Latin teacher William Browning said. 

The two-hour elaborate preceding highlighted the royal family, with controversy and tension lingering. A father-son moment occurred between King Charles and Prince William, in which the prince paid homage to his father, then kneeled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Prince Harry, the king’s estranged son, attended the event after releasing his tell-all, critical memoir: Spare. The event reunited the brothers as the complicated relationship between the two became known in the prince’s expose. Prince Harry did not join the royal family as they gathered with the king to wave to the crowd at Buckingham Palace. His wife, Duchess Meghan of Sussex did not attend the coronation. 

Wearing their signature suits and regal outfits, celebrities, political figures, and other royalty came to celebrate the coronation. Among the guests included singers Katy Perry and Lionel Riche. The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also appeared.

“I mean, you don’t get in the business and say, ‘You know what? I’ll be at the king’s coronation.’ That just never comes up… [It’s] A, a surprise. B, what an honor. And C, the fact of all the names that are out there that he could have had for this, he called my name,”  singer Lionel Riche said.

Not everyone celebrated the coronation as growing anti-monarchy sentiment remains present in the British public. Seventy percent of Britain’s younger generation say they hold no interest in the royal family. Anti-royalist protests also occurred on the day of the coronation, holding signs and wearing shirts flashing the words “NotMyKing”.