The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, hailed today the “moment of joy” that was the coronation of King Carlos III and Queen Camilla, which he attended in London, which he considered the beginning of “a new historical cycle”.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, the President saluted our oldest ally, England, for this moment of joy, celebrated first by the coronation of the King and then by the Queen.
Recalling that he was in the British capital in September for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at a “very sad time”, he insisted that “this opens a new cycle of history”.
“The contrast was palpable,” he recalled, adding “the weight of a queen who marked an era in the life not just of the United Kingdom, but of Europe and the world.”
Apart from the coronation, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa attended a reception for heads of state and government at Buckingham Palace this morning at Westminster Abbey and Friday night.
There, he said, “the affection they have for Portugal is visible on the part of the royal family”, especially the king, “who is very careful that this year we celebrate 650 years of our alliance, the oldest. In Europe, and the oldest in the world”.
The head of state said he took advantage of the meeting with dignitaries invited by Carlos III for some bilateral and multilateral meetings, like the Brazilian Lula da Silva and the Angolan João Lorenzo.
“We talked about the CPLP summit next August,” said last week, an event that marks the end of one presidency and the beginning of another presidency in the Community of Portuguese-speaking countries.
King Charles III was crowned with Queen Consort Camilla at Westminster Abbey today, in a religious ceremony with around 2,000 guests that lasted two hours.
The ritual involves being anointed with holy oil and handing over to the sovereign several crown jewels symbolizing the transfer of powers.
As well as being the Head of State of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth countries, the Sovereign is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the Head of the Anglican Church, the “Guardian of the Faith” and the British “Fountain of Justice”.
After the ceremony, the King and Queen rode in a horse-drawn carriage with about 6,000 soldiers in procession to Buckingham Palace.
The celebrations ended with other members of the royal family waving to the crowd on the palace balcony and watching military planes fly by.
