A historic day for Great Britain

King Charles III was crowned in symbolic coronation ceremony on Saturday.

Ştefan Stoica, 08.05.2023, 13:50

King
Charles III of Great Britain and his wife Camilla were crowned on Saturday at
Westminster Abbey in London in a lavish ceremony. Charles III became king last
September after the death of his mother Elizabeth II, aged 96. Wearing the
imperial mantle, he took his coronation oath. It was for the first time in 70
years that a head of state was crowned in Great Britain.

200
guests attended the ceremony, including Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis and
the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Margareta. Klaus Iohannis said he was
honoured to be in London for the coronation, which he described as a historic moment
and a celebration of the traditions of the British monarchy. King Charles III
is a friend of Romania’s and has a deep understanding of the European continent,
in its entirety, said Crown Custodian Margareta in a message conveyed on the
occasion of the coronation on Saturday, adding: Today’s
coronation in London connects the past with the present through a historical
tradition of a thousand years. A tradition that has carried on through wars,
cataclysms, revolutions and fundamental changes of the world. His Majesty King
Charles is being crowned after almost six decades of devoted service to the
United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. All my life I have witnessed his devotion
to the Crown and the Nation.
Strong ties, including kinship, link the royal houses of Romania and Great
Britain. As heir to the throne, Charles attended the funerals of Romania’s last
monarch, King Michael, Margareta’s father, who died in December 2017, aged 96.

Members of the Romanian community in
Great Britain gathered in London to celebrate the coronation with music and
traditional food. We are happy for the new king, Charles III, and we honour
him because he is Romania’s greatest ambassador in Britain. He has always had
nice words to say about our country and has presented its uniqueness, said one
Romanian living in Britain.

Charles first visited Romania 25
years ago and has since returned regularly, saying he is an admirer of the
country and especially of Transylvania, a historical province that still bears
the traces of the cultural heritage of the ethnic Germans who settled there
eight centuries ago. Charles also became involved in the preservation of the
Romanian cultural heritage, purchasing and restoring old rural houses, thus
saving them from destruction. The Prince of Wales Foundation was launched in
2015 in Romania, a charitable organisation supporting the conservation of the
architectural heritage, agriculture and sustainable development in Romania. In
2017, the Romanian president awarded Charles the Star of Romania National Order
in Rank of Grand Cross for his activity in Romania and for promoting its image
around the world. (CM)