Royal presence: The King and Queen waving to the crowd as they make their way to Westminster Abbey to attend the coronation of King Chales III in London. — Bernama
LONDON: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah attended the coronation ceremony of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey.
Their Majesties arrived in London on Wednesday for a special visit until May 14 at the official invitation of King Charles III to attend his coronation ceremony.
Yesterday, the city of London was the focus of the world, with the presence of members of the royal family, heads of state, heads of government and dignitaries from all over the world.
About 2,000 specially invited guests attended the historic ceremony, Bernama reported.
The ceremony, full of the United Kingdom’s royal tradition, also witnessed the coronation of Queen Camilla, which was being followed by the people of the United Kingdom and the international community through live television broadcast and social media.
Sultan Abdullah wore the No. 1 military ceremonial uniform while Tunku Azizah was dressed in a yellow modern baju kurung, specially designed by Her Majesty herself for their Majesties’ coronation ceremony in 2019.
Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah were the first Malaysian heads of state to attend a UK monarch’s coronation ceremony.
The last time a similar ceremony was held was 70 years ago, at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II as head of state of the UK, on June 2, 1953.
At that time, Malaya (now Malaysia) was not yet independent and the institution of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong did not exist.
According to historical records, during the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II, the Kelantan Sultan, Johor Sultan, Selangor Sultan and Perak Sultan were consented to represent Malaya, which at that time was still subject to the British colonial administration, at the coronation ceremony.
For King Charles III’s coronation, Malaysia was also represented in the massive ceremonial procession, which saw the participation of some 6,000 UK military personnel, including 400 military personnel from 38 Commonwealth countries.
A total of 12 members of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment were proud to be given the honour to participate in the coronation parade, by displaying their best skills.
