King Charles Coronation Anointment. Archbishop of Canterbury still backs Divine Right of Kings
The anointment of King Charles with Royal Chrism oil is one part of the Coronation that the Palace has banned the BBC from showing.
Charles will wear a white shirt for the occasion while he is anointed away from the public gaze by the Archbishop of Canterbury
A special screen was erected so TV viewers could not see the anointing. It is a genuine tradition-a French one- dating back to William in 1066.Elizabeth 1st reportedly found the oil ‘foul smelling’ while Charles 1st liked it.The oil was destroyed in World WarTwo and Elizabeth had a new batch made. King Charles again had a new batch too-this time vegan(Sunday Times 7th May)
At the Coronation the Royal Spoon was used for anointing although its far from clear this is what its original purpose was..
The Times (18th April) reports that according to Justin Welby the anointment is a symbol that the King’s role is one for which ‘God’s help is needed’. Welby claims that it is a ‘private moment between the King and the King of Kings’. The anointment is where the King is presented to God as a servant.
We can take it that Welby was not paying attention in history lessons at school.
The Divine Right of Kings was abolished on 30th January 1649 in Whitehall when the Parliamentary forces executed Charles 1st. When Charles 11 resumed the throne in 1660 he did so as a Constitutional Monarch guided not by God but by Parliament.
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