Charles is already King. Why do we need a coronation? | CBC News

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King Charles III technically became Britain’s monarch the moment his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died on Sept. 8, 2022. He was proclaimed King in the days that followed.

Now, eight months later, we’re preparing for an official coronation ceremony to crown him.

You wrote to us with many questions — and opinions — about the upcoming coronation of King Charles, but there was one question you kept asking.

If Charles is already King, why have a coronation now?

One reason the Royal Family might choose to have a coronation months later is to allow enough time for people to mourn the old monarch before celebrating a new one, according to Patricia Treble, royal watcher and author of Write Royalty, a newsletter following the royals.

These monarchical celebrations have been happening for nearly 1,000 years, since 1066.

Carolyn Harris, a royal historian based in Toronto, says coronations also used to carry more political weight, especially in the Middle Ages, when passing on the crown to the next heir wasn’t as seamless as it is now.

This was largely due to “competing claims to the throne” among members of the Royal Family, Harris said.

Perhaps the most notable reason for a coronation in modern times is because of the religious significance.

The coronation is a ceremony in which the monarch is being consecrated in their role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England — in other words, King Charles is being anointed.

“It’s very much a Christian phenomenon,” Treble said. “It confers God’s grace onto a ruler.”

You can read more about what to expect during the ceremony here.

Why have a coronation at all?

Some of you even asked if a coronation was necessary at all — and you’re not alone.

According to Harris, even a past monarch has suggested scrapping or simplifying the ceremony.

She explains that when William IV succeeded his brother, George IV, in the 19th century, he contemplated not even having a coronation, given its high price tag and the grand ceremony his brother had for himself during a cost-of-living crisis.

Harris says she expects that Prince William may decide to take a similar approach when the time comes to succeed his father, Charles.

“It’s likely that the future William V, like William IV, may well question whether a coronation needs to take place on a lavish scale,” she said.

How much does a coronation cost and who pays for it?

“No one knows precisely how much it’s going to cost,” said Rafe Heydel-Mankoo, a royal commentator and historian.

And it may take months after the ceremony for that information to be revealed.

Queen Elizabeth’s coronation cost about 1.5 million pounds in 1953, Heydel-Mankoo said. That’s about 50 million pounds today, or $85 million Cdn.

But he estimates the cost of King Charles’s coronation will be between 50 million and 100 million pounds (about $85 million to $170.5 million Cdn).

Heydel-Mankoo says part of the reason for the big price tag might not be the lavish luxuries you’re imagining, but for security and logistics for foreign heads of state.

Unlike a royal wedding, the King’s coronation is considered a state function, which means British taxpayers will be on the hook for most of the bill through the Royal Family’s Sovereign Grant.

According to the BBC, the Royal Family will also contribute some funds for the ceremony. But it’s unclear exactly how much.

How much are Canadians paying for the event?

The Monarchist League of Canada says Canadians will pay only for transport, accommodation and food for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and whoever else is part of the Canadian delegation attending the coronation.

“There are no costs involved with the actual Royal Family,” Heydel-Mankoo said.

In the fiscal year 2019-20, each Canadian paid about $1.55 to support the monarchy, according to the league’s triennial survey.

That covers travel-related costs for visiting Royal Family members to Canada, such as their security, and maintaining historic buildings and running the Governor General’s office.