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AS IT HAPPENED: King Charles III’s Coronation

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Britain's King Charles III with the St Edward's Crown on his head at the Coronation Ceremony inside Westminster Abbey. (AFP)
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Updated 06 May 2023
Arab News
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AS IT HAPPENED: King Charles III’s Coronation

  • In the UK, people celebrated truly once-in-a-lifetime event
  • Across Arab world, many locals and expatriates witnessed time-honored tradition
Updated 06 May 2023
Arab News

LONDON: In the UK, people celebrated a truly once-in-a-lifetime event. On Saturday, King Charles III was crowned alongside Queen Camilla, the first such coronation in 70 years.

However, the British are not the only ones who commemorated the coronation — in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar, many locals and expatriates alike geared up to show respect and adoration for the time-honored tradition.

Some older citizens of the Gulf will remember when Charles, who at the time was the Prince of Wales, visited the UAE with Princess Diana 34 years ago, and others will recall watching the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on black-and-white televisions in 1953.

The coronation is a bittersweet moment given the passing of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, but it is one that many in the Gulf hope will symbolize a new beginning for British-Arab relations.

See how the coronation event unfolded with our coverage below. (All times BST)

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14:30 - And Charles' position as king is finally rubber-stamped as the official part of the coronation weekend comes to a close. Thanks for tuning in!

14:15 - The moment the thousands among the crowds who've braved the London rain have waited for,  King Charles, Queen Camilla and members of the working Royal family make a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance.

13:45 - Now back at Buckingham Palace, King Charles receives a salute from his armed forces, a resounding three cheers ring out from the palace lawn.

13:00 - King Charles, now wearing the Imperial State Crown, and Queen Camilla leave Westminster Abbey as the Coronation ceremony comes to a close. They begin the procession back to Buckingham Palace, with other members of the Royal family in tow.

12:55 - US President Joe Biden congratulates King Charles and Queen Camilla on their coronation, saying “enduring friendship between the US and the #UK is a source of strength for both our peoples”

12:15 - Queen Camilla is crowned with the Crown of Queen Mary.

12:10 - William, Prince of Wales pays homage to his father, the king, as his "liege man."

12:05 - The St. Edward's Crown is placed on Charles' head as he is officially crowned.

12:00 - King Charles, now in the Coronation chair, is presented with regalia and symbols of his role as sovereign with a backing of Byzantine chants. Among these will be the armills — a set of gold ornamented bracelets representing knighthood and military leadership - presented by Lord Kamall, 56, a Conservative Party peer and practicing Muslim.

11:45 - The sacred anointing part of the Coronation ceremony has taken place, away from view, behind a specially-commissioned screen.

11:00 - The Coronation ceremony has begun.

10:30 - King Charles will arrive at Westminster Abbey in royal ermine over George VI’s crimson red Robe of State and will change into George VI’s purple Robe of Estate to leave the Abbey. Find out more about the fashion and attire on show at the ceremony here.

10:20 - King Charles and Queen Camilla have begun their procession to Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.

10:00 - On Friday, in pre-Coronation events, Catherine, Princess of Wales was spotted wearing the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings in London as she met well-wishers outside Buckingham Palace. Read more here.

09:50 - As expected, we have several faith leaders in attendance at this coronation for the first time in British history, something that King Charles was very keen to implement.

09:10 - We get our first glimpse of the king and queen, who have left Clarence House where they stayed last night and arrived at Buckingham Palace to prepare for the ceremony.

08:55 - From the Coronation chair, which has been used for more than 700 years in coronations, to St. Edward's Crown, to the Golden State coach to the 12th century anointing spoon -- all the regalia of coronations of centuries past will be on display today in London.

08:40 - And from Saudi Arabia, it was announced on Thursday that Saudi Minister of State Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd would be attending the ceremony on behalf of King Salman, and he was received at the palace by King Charles on Friday evening.

08:30 - Arab leaders attended a pre-Coronation reception hosted by members of the Royal family at Buckingham Palace on Friday, including the King and Queen of Jordan, the King of Bahrain, the Emir of Qatar and the vice-president of the UAE.

08:20 - Thousands of people, some of whom have been camping overnight for several days, are lining the Mall and the 'King's Procession' route in central London and the party atmosphere is building...

08:15 - Prince Khalid bin Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the UK, wrote in his column for Arab News that Charles "has shown leadership and understanding with an impact far beyond his own country," and extolled the strong relationship Saudi Arabia and the UK have shared for decades. Read it below.

Opinion

Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al-Saud

King Charles: visionary, bridge builder, sword dancer

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08:00 - Charles' big day has arrived and the eyes of the world turn to London for the day to witness a ceremony with its roots in the 11th century. You can get a feel for what it entails and how Charles' links to the Arab world have been strengthened over the years in our dedicated section here.

Topics: King Charles Coronation King Charles III UK

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US citizens in Qatar told to ‘shelter in place’ as Iran mulls reprisals

Updated 5 sec ago
AFP
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US citizens in Qatar told to ‘shelter in place’ as Iran mulls reprisals

  • Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said warnings by foreign embassies ‘do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats’
Updated 5 sec ago
AFP

DOHA: The United States embassy in Qatar advised Americans there to “shelter in place” Monday, with other Western embassies echoing the warning after Tehran threatened to retaliate for US strikes on its nuclear sites.
Qatar, which lies 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of Iran across the Gulf, is home to the US’s largest military base in the region, Al-Udeid.
“Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,” the US embassy said on its website.
Britain and Canada later cited the US security alert in their own recommendations to nationals.
Iran’s armed forces threatened on Monday to inflict “serious, unpredictable consequences” on the US after its heavy strikes on three nuclear sites.
In Bahrain, a close neighbor of Qatar that hosts the US Fifth Fleet, the American embassy “temporarily shifted a portion of its employees to local telework,” it said on X.
Bahraini authorities had already told most government employees to work from home until further notice, citing “regional circumstances.”
Following the US warning in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said warnings by foreign embassies “do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats.”
“We would like to reassure the public that the security situation in the state remains stable,” he wrote on X. “Qatar continues to exert intensive diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.”
On Sunday, the US State Department advised Americans worldwide to “exercise increased caution” because of the war between Israel and Iran.
After Israel’s first strikes on Iran on June 13, the US embassy in Qatar had told its staff and other Americans to “exercise increased caution” and “limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Air Base.”

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Bangladesh probe into Hasina-era abuses warns ‘impunity’ remains

Updated 23 June 2025
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Bangladesh probe into Hasina-era abuses warns ‘impunity’ remains

  • The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances is probing abuses during the rule of Hasina, whose government was accused of widespread human rights abuses
Updated 23 June 2025
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DHAKA: A Bangladesh government-appointed commission investigating hundreds of disappearances by the security forces under ousted premier Sheikh Hasina on Monday warned that the same “culture of impunity” continues.
The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances is probing abuses during the rule of Hasina, whose government was accused of widespread human rights abuses.
That includes the extrajudicial killing of hundreds of political opponents and the unlawful abduction and disappearance of hundreds more.
The commission was established by interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, who is facing intense political pressure as parties jostle for power ahead of elections expected early next year.
Bangladesh has a long history of military coups and the army retains a powerful role.
“Enforced disappearances in Bangladesh were not isolated acts of wrongdoing, but the result of a politicized institutional machinery that condoned, normalized, and often rewarded such crimes,” the commission said, in a section of a report released by the interim government on Monday.
“Alarmingly, this culture of impunity continues even after the regime change on August 5, 2024.”
The commission has verified more than 250 cases of enforced disappearances spanning the 15 years that Hasina’s Awami League was in power.
Commission chief Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury said earlier this month that responsibility lay with individual officers, who were “involved in conducting enforced disappearances,” but not the armed forces as an institution.
Earlier this month, a joint statement by rights groups — including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch — called on the security forces to “fully cooperate with the commission by guaranteeing unfettered and ongoing access to all detention centers... and providing free access to records regarding those seized or detained.”
Hasina,77, remains in self-imposed exile in India, where she fled after she was ousted last year.
She has defied orders to return to Dhaka to face charges amounting to crimes against humanity. Her trial in absentia continues.

Topics: Bangladesh

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Greenpeace joins protests against gala Bezos wedding in Venice

Updated 23 June 2025
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Greenpeace joins protests against gala Bezos wedding in Venice

  • Some locals see the celebration as the latest sign of the brash commodification of a beautiful but fragile city that has long been overrun with tourism while steadily depopulating
Updated 23 June 2025
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VENICE: Global environmental lobby Greenpeace added its voice on Monday to protests against this week’s celebrity wedding in Venice between American tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Laura Sanchez.
The event, expected to attract some 200 guests including US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as scores of stars from film, fashion and business, has been dubbed “the wedding of the century.”
But some locals see the celebration as the latest sign of the brash commodification of a beautiful but fragile city that has long been overrun with tourism while steadily depopulating.
Activists from Greenpeace Italy and UK group “Everyone hates Elon” (Musk) unfolded a giant banner in central St. Mark’s Square with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.”
Local police arrived to talk to activists and check their identification documents, before they rolled up their banner.
“The problem is not the wedding, the problem is the system. We think that one big billionaire can’t rent a city for his pleasure,” Simona Abbate, one of the protesters, told Reuters.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and regional governor Luca Zaia have defended the wedding, arguing that it will bring an economic windfall to local businesses, including the motor boats and gondolas that operate its myriad canals.
Zaia said the celebrations were expected to cost 20-30 million euros ($23-$34 million).
Bezos will also make sizable charity donations, including a million euros for Corila, an academic consortium that studies Venice’s lagoon ecosystem, Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper and the ANSA news agency reported on Sunday.
Earlier this month, anti-Bezos banners were hung from St. Mark’s bell tower and from the famed Rialto bridge, while locals threatened peaceful blockades against the event, saying Venice needed public services and housing, not VIPs and over-tourism.
The exact dates and locations of the glitzy nuptials are being kept confidential, but celebrations are expected to play out over three days, most likely around June 26-28.

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Beijing issues weather warning for hottest days of year

Updated 23 June 2025
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Beijing issues weather warning for hottest days of year

  • An orange heat warning — the second-highest in a three-tier system — was issued on Monday as officials encouraged people to limit outdoor activity and drink more fluids to avoid heatstroke
Updated 23 June 2025
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BEIJING: Beijing residents sought shade and cooled off in canals on Monday as authorities issued the second-highest heat warning for the Chinese capital on one of its hottest days of the year so far.
China has endured a string of extreme summers in recent years, with heatwaves baking northern regions even as parts of the south have seen catastrophic rain and flooding.
Authorities in the city of 22 million people urged the public to take precautions, with temperatures expected to peak at around 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.
“It’s been really hot lately, especially in the past few days,” intern Li Weijun told AFP on Monday afternoon.
The 22-year-old said he had stopped wearing formal clothes to work and delayed his daily exercise until after 10:00 p.m. to stay safe.
“I think it’s related to climate change, and maybe also to the damage done to nature,” he said.
An orange heat warning — the second-highest in a three-tier system — was issued on Monday as officials encouraged people to limit outdoor activity and drink more fluids to avoid heatstroke.
Construction workers should “shorten the amount of time consecutively spent at labor,” while elderly, sick or weakened individuals ought to “avoid excessive exertion,” according to the guidelines.
Zhang Chen, 28, said she carried an umbrella outdoors to prevent sunburn.
“I used to ride a bike, but once it gets this hot, I basically stop doing that,” the IT worker told AFP.
Despite the beating sun, legions of delivery drivers zipped through downtown areas at noon to bring sustenance to Beijing’s office workers.
A few lazed on the backs of their scooters in a shady spot, while elsewhere, people cooled off with ice creams or by taking a dip in the city’s canals.


Beijing is still a few degrees short of breaking its record for the hottest-ever June day, set at 41.1C in 2023.
Human greenhouse gas emissions are driving climate change that causes longer, more frequent and more intense heatwaves.
China is the world’s largest producer of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, though it has pledged to bring its emissions to a peak by the end of this decade and to net zero by 2060.
The country has also emerged as a global leader in renewable energy in recent years as it seeks to pivot its massive economy away from highly polluting coal consumption.
In a shady spot near an office building, 42-year-old Lucy Lu spent her lunch break with friends, kicking a shuttlecock through the air — a traditional Chinese game known as “jianzi.”
“I was born and raised in Beijing, and summer here has always been like this,” she said.
“But I do think when the temperature goes over 40C, there should be some time off or work-from-home options to reduce the risk of heatstroke.”

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UK police ban Palestine Action protest outside parliament

Updated 23 June 2025
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UK police ban Palestine Action protest outside parliament

  • The pro-Palestinian organization is among groups that have regularly targeted defense firms and other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza
Updated 23 June 2025
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LONDON: British police have banned campaign group Palestine Action from protesting outside parliament on Monday, a rare move that comes after two of its members broke into a military base last week and as the government considers banning the organization.
The group said in response that it had changed the location of its protest on Monday to Trafalgar Square, which lies just outside the police exclusion zone.
The pro-Palestinian organization is among groups that have regularly targeted defense firms and other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza.
British media have reported that the government is considering proscribing, or effectively banning, Palestine Action, as a terrorist organization, putting it on a par with Al-Qaeda or Daesh.
London’s Metropolitan Police said late on Sunday that it would impose an exclusion zone for a protest planned by Palestine Action outside the Houses of Parliament — a popular location for protests in support of a range of causes.
“The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest,” Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said.
“We have laid out to Government the operational basis on which to consider proscribing this group.”
Palestine Action’s members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and, in the incident last week, damaged two military aircraft, Rowley added.

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