Read more: The Asian royals and dignitaries seen at King Charles III’s coronation

The coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla—pliant to both age-old traditions and modern audiences—came out progressive. For instance, the oath-taking where the king swears to be a ‘Defender of the Faith’ has been changed to the more inclusive title, ‘‘Defender of All Faiths’’. The coronation oath was prefaced with ‘‘seek to foster an environment where people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely.’’

Held at Westminster Abbey, the King was the 40th monarch crowned there since 1066. This year’s procession began with the monarch’s departure from Buckingham Palace, on board the Diamond Jubilee State Coach—a departure from past monarchs who would use the Gold State Coach.

Upon the King’s arrival at the Abbey, the coronation began. He was given regalia that symbolise different elements of the responsibilities of a British monarch. The Sovereign’s Orb represents his god-given right to the throne, a sceptre with a cross shows his authority over the State, and a sceptre with a dove symbolises his authority over the Anglican Church.

Another ancient artefact came into play during the ceremony. The King sat on the Coronation Chair, also known as the St Edward’s Chair, named after King Edward I. Under the chair lies the Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny. It is believed to be the stone that the Biblical character Jacob used as a pillow when he had dreams about a ladder going to heaven.

Some rituals, like the royal court’s homage to the king, have been changed. Previously, each peer would approach the throne and bow down to the monarch. But the King wanted to do away with that, with only Prince William paying homage on behalf of everyone. The holy oil used for the anointing was also changed. Instead of using ingredients from a musk deer, a civet cat, and sperm whale intestines, the King chose a vegan alternative—using olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. This was then poured on the King’s head through an ampulla shaped like an eagle. Considered the most sacred part of the ceremony, the anointment was hidden away from the public.

The King’s crown is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after St Edward the Confessor, the original was destroyed in the English Civil War. The one he wears now dates back to 1661 when the monarchy was restored. It houses a set of rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes, and tourmaline gems with a solid gold frame.

Queen Camilla wore Saint Mary’s Crown, which was worn by Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother, Queen Mary. It contains three Cullinan diamonds (IV, V, VI) and is made of silver covered with 2,200 diamonds. Queen Camilla opted to wear the late Queen Mother Elizabeth’s crown but decided not to as it had the infamous Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Returning to Buckingham Palace, the King and Queen followed the same route by which they came. Only this time, they used the 260-year-old Gold State Coach, which has been in every coronation since 1831.

Though the weather did not favour King Charles on his special day—with rain cancelling the planned flypast of Typhoons, Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Lancaster bombers—the coronation ended in spectacular fashion with the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace watching the colourful trails of Red Arrows and helicopters.

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