Coronation of King Charles: Asian peers and faith leaders will be part of ceremony

ASIAN peers representing the Hindu and Sikh faiths are likely to be joined by Muslim and Jewish House of Lords representatives in carrying key pieces of coronation emblems to add a multi-faith touch to the Christian religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, it emerged on Saturday (22).

According to The Times, non-Christian religions will be represented in the main ceremony by members of the House of Lords from the four major faiths.

Lord Narendra Babubhai Patel, 84, will represent the Hindu faith and is expected to carry the sovereign's ring on the day of the coronation.

Lord Indrajit Singh, 90, will represent the Sikh faith and is expected to carry the coronation glove.

“It stresses the point that [the King] has said again and again that he is defender of the Christian faith but with total respect for all other faiths, Singh told The Times.

Lord Kamall, 56, a London-born Muslim peer, is expected to carry the armills or a pair of bracelets and Baroness Gillian Merron, 64, will represent the Jewish faith and is expected to carry one of the coronation robes.

These royal regalia are expected to form a key feature of the religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey next month and the items are likely to be handed over to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will be presiding over the ceremony, to be passed on to King Charles. Besides, non-Christian clerics are likely to be invited to form part of a faith procession.

However, Buckingham Palace is yet to confirm the details of the ceremony for the crowning of 74-year-old Charles as King.

“The coronation liturgy will be published in due course and we look forward to sharing more details then,” said a spokesperson for Lambeth Palace, the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

It has been widely expected that Charles would like to incorporate some multi-faith aspects to the traditionally Anglican Christian coronation ceremony, last held 70 years ago when his late mother Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in June 1953.

He has made several high-profile visits to temples, gurdwaras, mosques and synagogues over the years as the heir-apparent Prince of Wales. Westminster Abbey also plays host to multi-faith services quite regularly, including for the annual Commonwealth Day ceremony held in March every year.

(PTI)