There was a moment at the heart of his Coronation service when King Charles III almost teared up. His eldest son, Prince William, had just knelt in front of the newly crowned sovereign and pledged his allegiance as “your liege man of life and limb” – which literally means William is promising to be there for his father no matter what, obligated before God to honour and serve.
Then, after Charles gently whispered, “Thank you, William,” the heir to the throne lent forward and kissed his 74-year-old King on the cheek. After everything that has led up to this day – the grief of losing both parents within 17 months of each other and the painfully public battles with his “dear boy”, Prince Harry, at the most important time in his royal career – Charles filled up with emotion.
“It was incredibly touching,” said royal biographer Robert Hardman. “It was a reminder of that moment in the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 after all the solemnity, suddenly the serenity cracks momentarily when Prince Philip gives her a kiss on the cheek. It’s a moment when the family breaks through all this tradition, a very reassuring moment, that to him was clearly a very poignant scene.”
For the King, it likely also brought back vivid memories of the last time a crown was lowered onto his head at his investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969. Then it was the late Queen Elizabeth II who officiated. “I put my hands between Mummy’s, and swore to be her liege man of life and limb, and to live and die against all manner of folks – such magnificent medieval, appropriate words,” Charles said afterwards. Elizabeth beamed and kissed her nervous 20-year-old son’s cheek.
