World Leaders Excited as King Charles III Swears to Govern with Justice, Mercy

*Pledges to be a blessing to all faiths*I look forward to working with you, Tinubu tells new monarch 

Vanessa Obioha

World leaders gathered yesterday expressed excitement at the London Westminster Abbey as the new King of the United Kingdom, King Charles III, swore to govern with justice and mercy.

He promised to be a blessing to all faiths at a solemn Christian ceremony during his coronation.
The ceremony, which came after 70 years since the last monarch was crowned, saw the British populace witnessing the revival of a cherished tradition as King Charles III ascended the throne.

Charles, the then Prince of Wales, became King after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022.
Queen Elizabeth II, who was the longest serving British monarch, had eight grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and Charles is her eldest son among four siblings.

King Charles III was anointed with holy oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church who led the ceremony.
The King took the Coronation Oath and became the first monarch to pray aloud at his coronation.
In his prayer, he asked to “be a blessing” to people “of every faith and conviction.”

“I come not to be served, but to serve,” Charles said in his first remarks of the ceremony.
The newly installed King assured the British public of his commitment to govern with justice and mercy and be a blessing to all faiths.
The coronation procession, which was presided by Welby, drew the attention of numerous world leaders and notable figures, who gathered for this momentous occasion that lasted for two hours at Westminster Abbey.
The event also attracted all the leaders of the Commonwealth countries, including Canada and Australia, and recorded the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, in attendance.

Thousands of people also turned central London red, white and blue yesterday, with a sea of Union Jack flags lining the streets for the coronation.
British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak made an appearance to give a speech during the procession.
He was also joined by past British prime ministers, including Boris Johnson, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and John Major.
At the ‘Recognition’ section of the coronation, the Archbishop of Canterbury proclaimed him the “undoubted King”
After the proclamation was made, the congregation shouted ‘God Save King Charles!’,  signalling the official commencement of his reign.
Earlier, the King promised to uphold the Anglican Church of England and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

As expected, members of the British royal family were in attendance. William, the Duke of Cambridge, was accompanied by his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.  They were in the front row with their children for the ceremony.
The sole daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Anne,  arrived in a green cloak that hid her military outfit that she later revealed to take part in the King’s coronation procession.

 Over 4,000 members of the military provided security for the event.
Prince Andrew, younger brother to the king, also shared the same pew with Prince William, while Prince Harry arrived alone. Recently, the royal family put up an announcement that only Prince Harry would be attending the ceremony.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” the statement read in part.

Many speculated that it could be due to the existing bad blood between the royal family and Megan Markle who got married to Prince Harry in 2018.
Currently, both Megan and Harry are absolved of their official duties as royals.
 Many lined up the 1.4-mile distance between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace to celebrate the new king donning the St Edward’s Crown as he rode waving to his subjects.
However, a pocket of protest was recorded where protesters brandished placards that read ‘Not My King’.
Even before Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, left Buckingham Palace aboard the Diamond Jubilee State Coach for a rainy procession to the abbey, police arrested dozens of protesters.

Before the coronation ceremony, the head of the United Kingdom’s main republican group and other anti-monarchist activists were arrested.
Among the world leaders who rejoiced with the new British monarch on the occasion of his coronation, were the United States President, Joe Biden, French President, Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, Chinese President, Xi Jinping, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Head of the European Union’s executive, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, the foreign ministry in Greece and many others.
They also called for enduring friendship, cooperation and peace.

I Look Forward to Working with You, Tinubu Tells New Monarch

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu has congratulated the new monarch on his coronation, saying he looks forward to working with him.
Tinubu expressed confidence that King Charles would follow in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, noting that the newly crowned monarch would surpass the Queen’s achievements in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.
The President-elect said this via a congratulatory letter to King Charles III.

The incoming president, who enjoined the monarch to continue to tackle the plight of the underprivileged people in Africa and around the world, expressed the hope that the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Britain would become stronger during King Charles’ reign.
Tinubu said: “It is heartwarming that your accession to the throne is coming after the 70-year-reign of your iconic mother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose death last September left the entire world in grief, given her eventful reign.

“Bearing your unique place in history as the first King to be inaugurated in Britain since 1937, I trust that you will follow in the glorious footsteps of your late mother and even surpass her achievements in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

“Particularly remarkable about you is your love for the environment, importantly your lifelong crusade for sustainability and biodiversity.
“I hope that you will continue to push for these initiatives with kind eyes on the situation and plight of the underprivileged people in Africa and around the world.
“As the President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I also hope that during your reign, the excellent bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Britain will continue and even become stronger in the interests of our two countries.
“I look forward to further engagements with you and the opportunity of a meeting in the nearest future as both of us had earlier indicated in discussions with mutual friends and associates,” Tinubu explained.