The British Coronation is a ceremony of three consecrations in one. First is the Germanic tradition confirming that the King is elected, then follows the most sacred part when the king is shielded - the Anointment, which is a Jewish tradition referring back to the anointment of King Solomon. The Old Testament text of’ Zadok the Priest’ was used during the coronation of Anglo-Saxon king Edgar dating to 973. It is now set to music by Handel. The last part is the actual crowning. The original crown was melted down in 1649 after the execution of King Charles I. The crown used now only for the crowning is St. Edward's crown. Thereafter the King wears the Imperial State Crown.
Dr Michael Arnheim is a Barrister at Law, Sometime Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 1988 and is a Barrister at Law in Britain. He is a former Head of Department and Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Witwatersrand, SA. He is author of 23 published books to date including Why Rome Fell, Decline and Fall, or Drift and Change
