The Decades-Long Planning of King Charles’ Coronation

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The coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla will be held on May 6, almost exactly eight months after he formally assumed the title of king of the United Kingdom following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September.

But the ceremony has been in the planning stages for much longer than that. Due to the Queen’s advanced age prior to her death at 96 years old, planning sessions for the event—in which a monarch receives their regal powers including the bestowal of a crown upon their head—have been held on and off in secret for at least two decades, under the code name Operation Golden Orb.

Exact details of those planning sessions are highly secretive—in fact, even the existence of Operation Golden Orb was a secret, until the name was revealed by accident seven years ago—but it’s clear that the coronation will be a more scaled back affair compared to those in the past. “The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry,” Buckingham Palace has announced.

The coronation, after which the 74-year-old King Charles III will officially be the supreme governor of the Church of England, is expected to be short, but it’s preparation has been lengthy.

Decades in the Making

It’s not known exactly how long Operation Golden Orb has been planning Charles’ coronation, but it dates back to at least the 2000s and particularly intensified as Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Golden Jubilee—the 50^th anniversary of her accession to the throne—in 2002. At age 76, she was the oldest monarch to celebrate the occasion.

The coronation planning committee, which includes leading members of the aristocracy and other dignitaries, is chaired by the Duke of Norfolk, a hereditary office in charge of all ceremonial events involving the monarch. The current duke, Edward Fitzalan-Howard, also planned the queen’s funeral, which was called Operation London Bridge.

It’s considered insensitive to discuss a future coronation while the future monarch’s predecessor is still alive, so Operation Golden Orb was kept out of the public eye. But the name of the plan was accidentally revealed when it was left unredacted in a 2016 government document about an unrelated matter.

Royal historian Anna Whitelock said the operation’s name derives from the Crown Jewels used in the coronation: “The orb is a hollow ball of gold and a Christian symbol of authority, signifying Christ’s dominion over the world represented in the next monarch’s power. The name of the committee reminds us that at the heart of the ceremony, the king is made to swear vows of awesome severity, not to his country, or even his subjects, but to God.”

A Massive Security Operation

An important part of Operation Golden Orb involves the security for the coronation. Simon Morgan, a former royal protection officer now working for the Trojan Consultancy security firm, said those planning efforts have been ongoing for years but would be reassessed and changed based on new global circumstances following the queen’s death.

“It’s a massive policing operation,” Morgan told The Independent. “You’re protecting the individuals but also the office and what it stands for, and what that in turn looks like for His Majesty’s government and how that is seen across the globe. It’s high stakes—if anything goes wrong, it’s immediately broadcast, and it reflects on Britain’s standing in the world.”

Thousands of police officers from around the country will be on hand during the coronation, as well as snipers, security cameras, dogs, and widespread use of facial-recognition technology. Morgan said intelligence analyses will be run on royal stalkers and fantasists, and officers on the ground will monitor pickpockets and sexual offenders in crowds.

Reflecting a “Smaller, More Modern Monarchy”

A state occasion, the coronation will be paid for by the British government and is expected to cost £100 million. It will have no shortage of extravagance; Charles and Camilla will ride not one but two gold-encrusted coaches during the event. Nevertheless, the new king has requested that this year’s coronation be a shorter, smaller, and less expensive affair.

The event is expected to last only one hour, compared to Queen Elizabeth II’s three-hour ceremony in 1953, and Queen Victoria’s five-hour coronation in 1838. It will also feature representatives from different faiths and community groups to more accurately reflect the nation’s ethnic diversity, including Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh leaders.

“The service contains new elements that reflect the diversity of our contemporary society,” said Archbishop Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Church of England. “It is my prayer that all who share in this service, whether they are of faith or no faith, will find ancient wisdom and new hope that brings inspiration and joy.” Only about 14 percent of Britons identified as members of the Church of England as of 2018.

All these changes are in keeping with Charles’ vision for a “smaller, more modern monarchy,” a preference he has been expressing since acceding to the crown in September, according to The Telegraph.

How to Watch King Charles III’s Coronation

The coronation will be held on May 6, beginning at 11 a.m. BST (6 a.m. EST) at Westminster Abbey in London. CNN, CBS News, and BBC One will televise the event. You can also stream it on the CBS News Streaming Network and Paramount+.