LONDON: King Charles III and Queen Camilla Crowned in Historic Event

King Charles III and Camilla, the queen consort, were officially crowned king and queen during a coronation ceremony Saturday at Westminster Abbey, the first coronation there since that of Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, back in 1953.

Massive crowds lined the royals' route to and from the ceremony over the course of several hours.

Charles and Camilla began their procession toward the coronation from Buckingham Palace through Central London in a golden carriage led by eight horses.

About 200 members of the British military were mounted on horses as part of the procession, largely drawn from what's known as the Household Cavalry Regiment. On either side of the route to Westminster Abbey were around 1,000 other soldiers, sailors and Royal Air Force personnel.

They disembarked from their three-ton carriage at the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey, flanked by church officials and followed by a retinue of support staff dressed in red uniforms.

While bells rang outside, trumpets and singing filled the inside of the Abbey to mark their procession through the nave and past a large choir, before taking their seats at the start of the formal ceremony.

In his first spoken part of the ceremony, Charles said that he has come to "serve, not to be served" and to follow the example of the "king of kings."

After being presented to the audience and repeatedly proclaimed as king, Charles swore a series of oaths that relate to his responsibilities in this new role.

In his address to the congregation, the most senior clergyman in Britain, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, told those there and those watching on television at home that "we are here to crown a king and we crown a king to serve."

Welby later blessed oil that would be used to formally anoint Charles. As the choir sang again, Charles removed several layers of his robes and entered behind a screen where he was anointed by the oil, hidden from public view, but close to the altar.

Over the course of several minutes, Charles was presented with several symbolic items, including swords and spurs, many centuries old, ahead of his crowning.

The heavy crown was placed on Charles' head as he held two golden rods — one in each hand — as he sat silently upon a 700-year-old wooden throne. Archbishop Welby shouted "God Save the King," and those gathered responded in kind, before thundering trumpet fanfare.