The Coronation of King Charles III

it's a royal tradition as old as anEmpire[Music]with ceremony and Majestyas a new king is crownedand the world comes together[Music]hi and Welcome to our special look atthe coronation of King Charles III it'sbeen more than seven decades since thelast coronation of a British monarch sofor most of us this will be a ceremonyunlike anything we've ever seen beforefor the next 30 minutes we're going tobring you behind the scenes of thishistoric day we'll show you what toexpect the major figures to watch andthe challenges facing the new king butwe begin with what promises to be one ofthe grandest days in British historyit's a day the oldest are proud to havelived to see and the youngest willremember all their lives that's howWinston Churchill described thecoronation of Queen Elizabeth and 70years later young and old are once againeager to see history unfold when Charlesis crowned King the coronation is reallysteeped in history it has its origins inthe coronation ceremony of King Edgarwhich is in 973 so over a thousand yearsof history in recent years we've seenRoyal weddings State funerals and eventhe accession of King Charles but acoronation is a religious ceremony basedon a belief in the Divine rights ofkings and queens the medieval period ispeople saw this as an as a moment thatwas a Godly moment it was an act of Godfor the last 900 years the ceremony hastaken place in Westminster Abbey atradition that started with William theConqueror it was really an act ofpolitical symbolism that he was aroundin the same place that Edward Confessorwas laid to rest and it was in thisperiod that it said that when Edward theConfessor died he handed the monks ofWestminster Abbey all of his regalia thecrown jewels normally locked away in theTower of London will be on full displaythere are various parts of thecoronation regalia which are alsoincredibly old the coronation spoondates from the 13th century and otheraspects of the crown jewels date from1661. so it's incredibly old and thatgives it this real weight of the pastit's really embedded in in EnglishHistory and British history I mean whenyou think about Henry VIII even for himit was 500 years old some of theseceremonies so it's quite incredible oncecrowned the king will travel back to thePalace in the gold State coachoriginally commissioned for King GeorgeIII in the 1700s Queen's Precisionallows the chairs of all the thousandsin the shadow of the Abbey for centuriesonly a fraction of the public was ableto see the ceremony firsthand that allchanged with Queen Elizabeth II hercoronation was the first to be televisedeven then American audiences had to waituntil the film was flown overseas beforethey could watch well we're going to beawaiting the first of our Bridge ofplanes which will bring film to theUnited States now for the first time inhistory a global audience will be ableto see the crowning of the Britishmonarch live that's not the only moderntouch the 2000 invitations are printedon recycled paper there is a palaceapproved Emoji to Mark the occasion andwe'll hear a new coronationthe moment as it stands it's the momentum after both of them have been crownedI think one of the things that the Kingwas very very keen to try and make isthe occasion joyfulso I've chosen Psalm 98 which has theline in it many several times Make aJoyful Noiseand so the Anthem is called Make aJoyful Noise but with a new age comesnew questions about the future of themonarchy and its place in modern societyCharles has a very different challengefacing him he's got to sort of provethat the monarchy is legitimate he islegitimate we have to feel a connectionwith the royal family and the way thatyou can clearly see that connection isbeing portrayed and put forward is thatthey aren't dissimilar to us they aresimilar to us even as the monarchy facesnew scrutiny the coronation will giveKing Charles a chance to win overSkeptics I think the coronation canbring country together I think it's acontinuation of the pageantry of theQueen's funeral which was something thatabsolutely brought the country togetherCharles is of course no stranger to Pompand pageantry take a look this is QueenElizabeth crowning her son in 1969 whenhe was formally presented to the peopleof Wales as their prince known as theinvestiture ceremonyto become your leaves man of life andlimb 500 million people around the worldtuned in to see this moment it was justone of the steps on Charles's longjourney to becoming King here's NBC'sKelly kobiait's the role he's prepared a lifetimefor Queen Elizabeth's eldest son is nowon the thronefrom the age of four when his mother wascrowned Queen Elizabeth II Charlesmountbatten Windsor was groomed to beKing Charles III instead he became theoldest and longest serving heir to thethrone in British history decade afterdecade waiting in the shadow of hismotherhe'd been shy a lonely boy an averagestudent no Sportsman his schooling inScotland he called pure hellin his younger days Charles lived thelife of a Playboy hunting playing Poloserving as a pilot in the Air Force andcommanding a ship in the Royal Navy by30 Charles was considered one of theworld's most eligible bachelors butunder intense pressure to marry early30s handsome rich and the heir to theBritish throne London was full of rumorsthis week that he may now be about totake a bribe he started dating a shykindergarten teacher Lady Diana Spencerwho captivated the worldit's believed their wedding was watchedby hundreds of millions of people aroundthe globe The public's obsession withPrincess Diana was unmatched herpopularity often overshadowing Charlesshe didn't take the Limelight becauseshe wanted to outdo her husband it wasjust that she was so particularly goodat what she did and so popular that herpopularity was effectively her downfallthe couple had two sons in three yearsbut behind the facade of apicture-perfect family trouble wasbrewing and not always behind closeddoors rumors of incompatibility andinfidelity from both sides soon plaguingthe couple leading to an eventual splitand surprising call from Queen Elizabethshe's telling Princess Diana and PrinceCharles to end their public squabblingand get a divorce before Charles'sdivorce over 80 percent of Brits thoughthe'd make a good King that numberdropped by half after the couple splitand when Diana died tragically in a caraccident Britain saw a huge outpouringof grief and a public turning againstthe Royals while Charles has faced a bitof a tough time I think in his publicreception and particularly when he wasPrince of Wales he was very unpopular atcertain points especially around theevents regarding Princess DianaCharles turned the chapter on thistumultuous period in his life spendingmore time with his sons and going publicwith his relationship with CamillaParker Bowles the two first met anddated in the 1970s at the time Camillawas a popular socialite thirty yearslater after scandals tell-alls andpublic backlash Charles and Camillamarried in 2005. before they married shewas portrayed as a wicked witch as anadulteress as a terrible person andslowly slowly over the years she hasbeen rehabilitated she has managed toturn the public from really reallydisliking her intensely to accepting herin recent years we've seen Charles usinghis position to draw attention to anissue close to his heart climate changewe cannot ignore the symptoms and shouldact now to restore the health of theplanet Charles's advocacy and serviceand support for his mother stepping inas she reduced her duties led many tore-evaluate him in many ways Charles isa better fit for a modern Britain thanhe was 30 or 40 years ago in some wayspublic opinion has moved behind Charlesan heir in waiting patiently preparingfor his future role when that momentfinally arrived the new king led hisnation in mourning their beloved MonarchQueen Elizabeth was alive well liveda promise with Destiny keptand she is mourned most deeply in herpassingthat promise of lifelong service I renewto all todayon Coronation Day Charles is expected toappear on the balcony of BuckinghamPalace surrounded by his family careSimmons is with me now to talk about thefuture monarchs who will be right therealongside the king I care good to seeyou hey there I can't wait to be withyou there in London it's going to be somuch fun right it is Savannah onCoronation Day we are likely to see KingCharles with two future kings Charlesson Prince William is expected to ascendto the throne after his father anine-year-old Prince George is alsolikely to one day be king next in lineof succession is Princess Charlottefollowed by Prince Louis Williamsyoungest like Charles his grandchildrenhave been in the public eye since theywere bornPrince William and Kate Middleton weredelighted to welcome their first bundleof joy heir to the throne GeorgeAlexander Louis in 2013. he's got a goodpair of lungs on him that's for sure[Applause]he's a big boy he's quite heavy a littleover a year later Prince George wasalready embarking on his first Royaltour a visit to New Zealand andAustralia cameras followed his everymoveplaytime with fellow toddlersand a trip to Australia's tarangar Zoowhere he took Delight in some things notin othersand just a few years later he was off onhis first day of schoolthe next addition to the family a babygirl arrived in 2015.as Princess Charlotte's christeninglater that Year big brother George wasright by her side the brother and sisterhave stayed side by side through anumber of Royal Journeys I think thefact that William and Kate have involvedthe children in some engagements and inthese tours really says a lot about howthey operate as a family they want tostay together William and Kate are verystrong as a unit they want to spendtheir time with their children thefamily became a party of five with thebirth of another little prince in 2018.a very official grown-up name LouisArthur Charles in the years since thefamily has offered a glimpse into theirlives celebrating milestones and morePrince Louis has shown us his cheekypersonality most notably alongside hisgreat-grandmother the late QueenElizabeth at the Platinum Jubileecelebrations the young Prince'sheadline-making reactions from thebalcony of Buckingham Palace delightedRoyal Watchers meanwhile princessCharlotte appears to be swiftly growinginto her royal duties perfecting theRoyal waveand schooling her brother on properetiquette and Prince George continues torise to the occasion joining his parentsfront and center at sporting events andfamily festivities alike he's lookedvery grown up shaking hands after theRoyals Easter Service in Windsorrecently his brother and sisterfollowing alongthese young Royals have grown up beforeour very eyes I think the question ofwhat the future holds for the youngRoyals is a very big one no one reallyknows how the British monkey is going tolook by the time that Prince Georgeaccedes to the throneit's going to be an incredible momentall those Generations here Prince Georgeis going to have a special moment in theceremony yeah really special so he willbe the page of Honor which is the firsttime that a a young man in in line ofsuccession is going to have that honorand hopefully will behave himself he'snot hopefully not like Prince Louis aswe've seen before you know and Iremember being at the Jubilee andwatching uh Kate with the three childrenclearly worrying like any mother wouldabout whether or not they would behavethemselves she may be a little bitworried on the day too about her sonevery mom can relate to that moment Imean I'm secretly hoping Prince Louisdoes steal the show like he always seemsto be on the ceremony itself what aresome other occasions that are beingmarked in in Britain during this time soit's going to be a great weekend you'regonna have a great time Savannah whatthey like to do is not just have theevent itself but also have people havetheir own events all around the countryand even around the Commonwealth sothey're going to have something calledthe big lunch they're going to move towin the castle there's going to be aconcert there King Charles lovesconcerts so uh Katy Perry Lionel Richieoh yeah can we score an invite to thatI'm going to put a word in for you workyour sources what do you think when youwhen you take a step back I mean QueenElizabeth I mean there is no equal interms of her reignhow do you feel the British public isfeeling in this moment when the Britishpublic are not the most excitable groupbut I think a lot of people will beexcited to come out and because it'salways good I mean it's a bit of a sofaOpera isn't it kind of just watching howpeople behave how people relate to eachother as well as the Pomp and ceremonywhich is going to be amazing well it'shistory itself we'll bring theexcitement we will bring the excitementhere thank you so much we'll see you inLondon when we come back Prince Harry'shomecoming how the coordination could bean important turning point for hisrelationship with the rest of the RoyalFamily[Music][Applause][Music]thank youHarry Megan William and Kate they wereonce called The Fab Four but theyhaven't been seen together since thedeath of the queen last year for yearsWilliam and Harry's relationship wasthought to be among the strongest in theroyal family here they are in theirfirst joint interview for Americantelevision which aired on NBC in 2007.at the end of the day no matter what youthink the only person you're ever goingto get to know is to be able to formthat opinion is him no matter what youread or what you see you're never goingto know someone unless you actually getto meet them and talk to them properlythat's what I say about everyone that'sactually the most the most amusing pointis meeting somebody and then goingyou're so not what I thought you were toboth of us on you know to our father toeverybody you're not what I thought youyou're like well what did you think thatI best not say it to your face withinour private life and within certainother parts of our life we want to be asnormal as possible and yes it's hardum because to a certain respect we neverwill be normalafter her mother's death there was somuch of us being in the public and thenbeing seeing stuff on TV and readingstuff saying oh they need to show noemotion this sort of stuff you knowthat's you know our public side you knowwe don't we don't feel comfortable if wedon't feel comfortable about you knowpouring our eyes out in front ofthousands of people in that sort ofproblem people can portray that as muchas they want but we got each other totalk towell a lot has changed for William andHarry over the years in his recentMemoir spare Harry calls William hisbeloved brother and arch nemesis butwith news that Harry is set to attendthe coronation we expect them to onceagain share the spotlight to supporttheir father here's NBC's Molly Hunterthe news from Buckingham Palace we'veall been waiting for confirmation thatPrince Harry will be attending hisfather's coronation in a statement thepalace is pleased to confirm that Harrywill be at the service at WestminsterAbbey while his wife Megan will remainin California with Prince Archie andPrincess lilibet the announcementfollows months of feverish speculationover whether Harry and Megan wereinvited and whether they would make thetrip sharing the king's big day QueenCamilla who will also be crownedalongside King Charles the fact thatCamilla's role is now so important it'sconstitutional as wellit will be difficult for Harry I thinkto to swallow that pill of seeing theembodiment of everything he didn't wantHarry's public confirmed attendance wellpast the RSVP date of April 3rd raisesissues of planning and security FrogmoreCottages no longer the Sussex UKresidents however there are other Royalhouseholds Harry could bunk at for theweekend in a new biography of KingCharles by Royal commentator RobertJohnson now being serialized in theDaily Mail he cites interviews withinsiders and careers who say financiallythe post-megan and Harry slim downworking royal family was a necessitywriting Charles dropped a bombshellsaying he couldn't afford to pay forMegan in the future as well as forCamilla and for William and Catherineand their young family this infuriatedHarry but in his last major round ofinterviews around his book spare Harrysuggested there was still optimism andfor this country that's still adoresthose Brothers it will be a welcomesight to see them together at least fora dayHoda and I asked NBC Royal commentatorDaisy mcandrew what she makes of Harry'sdecision to attend the coronationwithout MeganI think the palace believes that isprobably the best and most elegantsolution but of course for the couplethey were kind of damned if they did anddamned if they didn't particularly forMegan who as Molly was saying hasdecided to stay back the date gives hera bit of cover of course we know it'sArchie's fourth birthday so she can saythat is why she's staying and that'scertainly what her people have beenintimating and of course there wereconcerns that if Megan did make it overthat perhaps her presence wouldovershadow the day that perhaps shemight get booing or negative publicitypersonally I hope that wouldn't havebeen the case and I think it's sad she'snot coming but people are delighted thatHarry is coming and Daisy what do youexpect because there's a lot of eventssurrounding the coronation do you thinkthis is just the bare minimum appearancefor Harry or might we see him in otherplaces in other events during thatweekendno my fear is this is a sort of blinkand you miss it visit that's certainlyuh the rumors coming out of of CampSussex that it's going to be a verybrief event that perhaps he might evenjust fly in go to the actual coronationnot even come back to Buckingham Palacein the procession after the coronationwe know he was never going to be on thebalcony behind me because that isreserved on the day of Coronation justfor working Royals but we don't believehe's going to stick around for theconcert for the big lunch for any of theother events and of course again he cansay I want to race home to Montecito tobe with my little boy it's his fourthbirthday so that means you don'tanticipate any conversations uh betweenhim and his brother or him and hisfather that might crop upI mean I think everybody's got a thingcrossed that therewas the beginning of the thawing ofrelations but as far as we know therehaven't been any conversations up tillnow we know that Harry had said that hisred line for coming to the coronationwas to get an apology there's no signthat that's happened we don't believethe brothers have talked for a very longtime nowcoming up long live the king we speak tosome of the biggest Royal fans on thisside of the pond[Music]foreign[Music][Applause]welcome back Royal Watchers on bothsides of the Atlantic are lookingforward to the coronation of KingCharles III we talked to some here inthe states and they told us why they'llbe watchingbecause it's going to be the onlycoronation in my lifetime it's soexciting it's exciting that's happeningin my lifetime and in a way where like Ican still experience it over televisionand watch it and see sort of this likehistorical happening in a modern timeand sort of with some new like hopefullymodern twists to it this isa actual ashtray not that we shouldstart smoking again commemorating thecoronation of King George and QueenElizabeth as you can maybe assume I'mreally excited to see what type ofspecial hats and Hardware people willput on the different sort of symbolismsbehind perhaps the colors and theflowers and and maybe the animals andthe different sort of Silhouettes thatthey'll wear I think the coronation isan opportunity for us to flood thestreets and celebrate together I'mactually going to watch the coronationon Derby day because I'm originally fromKentucky uh at a friend's wedding inNorth Carolina probably secretly on myphone during the ceremony I think hesort of you know he has a hard act tofollow but he's been training his wholelife to be the king and I'm glad he gota shot at it it's a great opportunity tolive vicariously through other peoplewho have what we all consider to be aCharmed Life in a lot of ways theyembody a fairy talewhereas in the UK there's an addedelement there's the history they arefigureheads they in many ways embodywhat britishness is to the world I thinkit's a boy he's wearing purple and acrown I haven't named him yet well callhim Charles or Chaz I know we're doing alot of streetwear these days but I thinkwe can throw in a fascinator or two Idon't think there's anything wrong withthat long live the king long live theking Cheers Cheers hooray hurraylong live the king[Laughter]and that's our show we hope you enjoyedour special look at the coronation besure to join me here and the rest of thetoday team bright and early Saturday May6th for live coverage of the coronationof King Charles III right here on NBCthanks for watching[Music]thank you[Music]thanks for 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