Chapter 426 - 426. LONG LIVE THE KING!
Chapter 426 - 426. LONG LIVE THE KING!
Chapter 426 – 426. LONG LIVE THE KING!
Contrary to what he thought, this was just the first stage of the ceremony. After this, he went forward to sit in another big seat. This stage was called Anointing. The Archbishop recited a prayer in preparation for the anointing.
Once seated in this chair, a canopy of golden cloth is held over Magnus' head. This element of the coronation service was considered sacred and was concealed from the public gaze, hence for this duration the cameras looked elsewhere.
Slowly, he was handed the Coronation Spoon. Soon, this ceremony also came to an end. The next part was called Investing, in this, he was enrobed in the colobium sindonis(sort of white robes), over which was placed the supertunica(sort of golden robes).
The Lord Great Chamberlain presented the spurs, which represent chivalry. The Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by other bishops, then presented the Sword of State to him, which he places on the altar. Magnus then further robed, this time receiving bracelets and putting the Robe Royal and Stole Royal on top of the supertunica.
The Archbishop then delivered several Crown Jewels to the sovereign. First, he delivered the Orb, a hollow gold sphere decorated with precious and semi-precious stones. The Orb was surmounted by a cross, representing the rule of Jesus over the world; it was returned to the altar immediately after being received. Next, Magnus received a ring representing his "marriage" to the nation.
This phase was done, next came the Crowning, the most important part. The Archbishop of Canterbury lifted King Arthur's Crown from the high altar, set it back down, and said a prayer "Oh God, the crown of the faithful; bless we beseech thee and sanctify this thy servant our king, and as thou dost this day set a crown of pure gold upon his head, so enrich his royal heart with thine abundant grace, and crown him with all princely virtues through the King Eternal Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"
Then the Dean of Westminster picked up the crown and he, the archbishop and several other high-ranking bishops proceeded to the Coronation Chair where the crown was handed back to the archbishop, who reverently places it on Magnus' head. At this moment, he was crowned, and the guests in the abbey thunderously cried in unison three times, "God Save the King".
"God Save the King."
"God Save the King."
Peers of the realm and officers of arms put on their coronets(sort of a hat), the trumpeters sounded fanfare and church bells rang out across the kingdom, even as far as Zimbabwe, as 100 gun salute echo from the Tower of London, Harare and Hyde Park.
Finally, the archbishop, standing before Magnus, said the crowning formula, which was a translation of the ancient Latin prayer "God crown you with a crown of glory and righteousness, that having a right faith and manifold fruit of good works, you may obtain the crown of an everlasting kingdom by the gift of him whose kingdom endureth forever."
To this the guests, with heads bowed, said together, "Amen"
When this prayer is finished, the choir sang, resounding inside the hall. Grace felt her eyes going wet, never in her life she though something like this would occur. She just silently prayed that Magnus may have eternal strength to face all challenges that were to come his way.
Crowning being concluded, Magnus rose from the Coronation chair and walked to the throne to take his final position. It was one of the many thrones that the royal family-owned, he chose this one because it had the most gold.
Once he was seated on the throne, the formula Stand firm, and hold fast from henceforth- is recited. All stayed standing in their place for the duration except Magnus.
This was it, at the end of the royal ceremony, Magnus had finally become the King of the United Kingdom as a whole, unofficially the most powerful man in the world.
His mind preoccupied, while he remained seated, an act of homage took place. First came the archbishops and bishops to swear their fealty. "I, [Name] Archbishop/Bishop of N., will be faithful and true, and faith and truth will bear unto you, our Sovereign King of this Realm and Defender of the Faith, and unto your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God."
Then came the peers, "I, N., Duke [Marquess, Earl, Viscount, Baron or Lord] of N., do become your liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship; and faith and truth will I bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of folks. So help me God."
The clergy paid homage together, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the end, it was the turn of the royal family to pay homage individually. It was very awkward for him as he had to see his dad and mum take the knee or bow. The most comical ones were the three gremlins, who while reciting their homage, stopped in the middle and started fighting each other on who will get to sit on his lap. He let all three sit together for a while. Nobody dared to object to him in any way. He was the king, he could do anything he wanted.
The last came Ragnar, he took the knee and looked at his face with a grin, Magnus felt danger ~What is this bastard planning now?~ he wondered. But, nothing happened.
In the end, came the Closing procession. Magnus exited the coronation theatre, entering St Edward's Chapel(within the abbey). While he was in St. Edward's chapel, the choir recited an English translation of the hymn of Thanksgiving Te Deum laudamus. One thing that differed here however was that he didn't return the crown, he kept it on the head, as it was the crown of Pendragon. He removed the Robe Royal and Stole Royal and a few things.
With the crown still on his head, he took into his hands the Sceptre with the Cross and the Orb and left the chapel while all present singing the national anthem, staying true to his promise, he let Bobby's girlfriend be the lead singer for it.
After this entirety was done, he remained inside the Abbey for a while, talking to all the important people. He then had to follow the routine and leave for Buckingham Palace to sit for official portraits with the entire Royal Family.
By then, a lot of people had gathered outside the Palace, hence as per the ritual, he was to appear at the Balcony. However, when he stood there and looked at the huge crowd outside, he felt overwhelmed. So many people believed in him, this was moving.
He turned to Lord Mountbatten, "Tell the guards to make space and put a wooden 5 feet tall 1X1 metre stage in the middle of the crowd. Tell all the cameras to take a position. I will speak to the people from among them,"
No questions were asked by the man, he knew what Magnus was capable of, if he wanted he could kill all these muggles without even flinching a muscle. Still, some warned him of dangers.
They were not wrong though, as he walked out of the castle gates, from the middle of the crowd and then finally stood up on the stage, at least 58 different people tried to initiate assassination. But, all were caught by wizards lurking in the crowd. All the British assassins were to be killed immediately after, for harming the King was treason to the kingdom.
The crown was still over his head. Looking at the big crowd all around him, he tapped on the microphone once. It took them a minute to silence down so he could speak. "I had originally prepared a big sheet of speech, but seeing your heartfelt love, I can not just say some preplanned words, they should also come from my heart.
"So, first let me ask you, how are you? Are you healthy? Are you eating well? How's your mum and dad? How is your school or job?"
This was the first time any monarch had ever tried to become intimate with the people, most walked and lived behind a wall of guards. To common people, looking at them, they felt distant, as if they were from a different world. But not now. He may be young, but he was the King, the father of the land.
A few old folks who were die-hard fans of Monarchy cried out right away. The young ones, who were in the majority, for the first time felt connected. Once again, cheers rolled out. It was like a rock concert at this point.
He smiled widely, "I know, our nation was in a mess not many years back, I was small but I could feel it in the air, the sadness, the hopelessness. My best friend was about to move out of his house to live in his home village far away, so I gave him all the money I got from winning the George Cross so he could stay with me.
"That got me thinking, how many families have broken apart, how many friendships ended because of those harsh days. First the war, then the recession. One after another there was sadness. I wish for that to never return.
"I am not merely a king, I am an entrepreneur, a businessman who wants to see his nation reach heights that weren't even seen as possible. And all of you are to play a major part in that dream. Don't just be a worker, be the one to give work. If you have an idea, you should try to make it a reality.
"But I know how hard it can be to start when you have nothing. Hence, I am announcing today, from my own pocket, that I am creating a One Billion dollar angel investment fund. Anyone who wants to start a business, make a good plan and send it to the PO box address you will soon see in the papers."
At this grand announcement, all young people became excited, many who already had some ideas and were looking to start were ecstatic. This may very well be a turning point in their lives.
The sky was turning darker, so Magnus decided to end his speech here, a dinner was to be organised after all. "Everyone, in December, I will be going to the Moon. I hope to find water and crucial resources there, resources that are important not just for this nation, but for the entirety of humanity.
"So, I hope that you will wish me luck and pray for the success of this mission. God bless you all and have a good night,"
"LONG LIVE THE KING!"
"LONG LIVE THE KING!"
"LONG LIVE THE KING!"
"LONG LIVE THE KING!"
People madly chanted together like a wave of tsunami. The ground felt to be shivering under their shouts and the sky seemed to be tearing apart. This was the confidence of thousands of people in one man, appearing clear. These thunderous cheers were a sign that the enemies should fear.
Waving his arm, he returned to the Palace while shaking the hands of a few who were too close. The gates of the Palace then closed and guards took their position.
The day came to an end. King Magnus had finally ascended to the royal throne.
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