When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attends today the coronation of King Charles 3rd at Westminster Abbey in London, he will be adding goodwill between the Philippines and the United Kingdom.
The 65-year-old President and first lady Marie Louise Araneta-Marcos flew out to London, soon after his official visit to the United States, to attend the coronation of Charles 3rd and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
The coronation will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
Charles, 74, acceded to the throne on September 8, 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II.
There is no legal requirement for a coronation, and other European monarchies have in fact done away with the ceremonies, but the big coronation of King Charles 3rd today will also be cementing Queen Consort Camilla’s role as a senior member of the British royal family.
Camilla—born Camilla Rosemary Shand—has had many changes to her title since the beginning of her relationship with Charles, from Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and the Duchess of Cornwall, to her latest as queen consort.
Heads of state of the region like European Union leaders Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel and Roberta Metsola will also be there. Germany and Italy are sending their ceremonial presidents Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella, rather than heads of government Olaf Scholz and Giorgia Meloni.
In a pre-departure press briefing in Malacañang, DFA spokesman Ma. Teresita Daza said: “The presence of the President at this momentous and historic event adds to the
goodwill between both the Philippines and United Kingdom and would serve to strengthen and enhance our overall bilateral relations across all areas of cooperation.”
The DFA official said the presence of the President would “not only add momentum but also indicates the high level of commitment of the Philippines to the enhanced partnership” of both countries.
The “unique gathering of leaders from all regions” also presents opportunities to discuss at the highest level potential collaboration across all areas of cooperation, she added.
Buckingham Palace has announced the coronation service will reflect the monarch’s role in modern times while observing long-standing traditions replete with pageantry.
Philippine Ambassador to the UK Teodoro Locsin Jr. earlier said Charles and Mr. Marcos “know each other because they used to play polo together.”
The President also studied in the United Kingdom, as did his three sons.