British succession

Great Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla in place in Westminster Abbey. AP  

The coronation of the king and queen is underway: "God save king Charles"  

The coronation ceremony of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla is underway.  

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby proclaims "God save king Charles" to the congregation and recognizes Charles as king.  

The ceremony, which is the first in 70 years, takes place in Westminster Abbey in London where several international royalty, celebrities and world leaders are present.  

In the 1,000-year-old ceremony, Charles III takes an oath to the state and the church. He will then have the royal crown placed on his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury and receive the royal regalia, including two sceptres and the royal apple.  

King Charles will also be anointed on his head, chest and hands with an oil made from olives from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. This part of the ceremony takes place out of sight behind a screen as it is considered sacred.  

Then follows the coronation of Queen Camilla, which will be somewhat shorter.  

Foot Guards march at the Mall in preparation for the coronation ceremony for Britain's King Charles III in London Saturday,May 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) XDB114 Vadim Ghirda / AP  

Here are the holding times for the coronation of Charles III  

At noon today, the ceremony for King Charles III and Queen Camilla's coronation begins in Westminster Abbey in London. The church ceremony is expected to be punctual and held to music chosen by the king himself.  

Here follows a list of the biggest holding points during today's coronation.  

The schedule of the coronation in Great Britain  

*10.00-10.30: Guests take their seats in Westminster Abbey.  

*11.20: The procession starts from Buckingham Palace. King Charles and Queen Camilla travel in a horse-drawn carriage towards the church.  

*12.00: The service led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, starts.  

*1:00 p.m.: The Archbishop places the royal crown on King Charles' head.  

*2pm: Charles and Camilla leave Westminster Abbey in a motorcade through the streets of London.  

*15.15-15.30: The royal couple comes out on the balcony together with members of the royal family at the same time as fighter jets fly over the castle and the people's tributes are received.  

Source: BBC / TT.  

King Charles III and a protester in London. Illustration image. AP  

Criticism of the arrest of protesters: "Alarming"  

The leader of the anti-monarchist movement "Republic", Graham Smith, has been arrested by the police before the coronation of King Charles, writes the BBC.  

Another six people who are members of the republican group, which is strongly opposed to the British monarchy, have been arrested. The group members were reportedly on their way to a separate area for protesters when they were arrested.   

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch believes that the arrest of the protesters by the British police is "incredibly alarming". 

"This is something you can expect to see in Moscow, not in London," the organization said in a statement, according to AFP.