‘God save the King’: Catherine Zeta-Jones leads celebrities congratulating Charles and Camilla

The UK’s new King and Queen were crowned on Saturday 6 May

Maanya Sachdeva
Saturday 06 May 2023 16:00 BST
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Charles and Camilla wave from Buckingham Palace balcony

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stephen Fry, and Sir Elton John are among a number of stars to congratulate the UK’s new King and Queen.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned during a two-hour long ceremony at Westminster Abbey, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, on Saturday 6 May.

Zeta-Jones offered her love and support to the royal couple on the historic day, sharing an Instagram post to mark the occasion.

Follow The Independent’s live coverage of Coronation Day here.

Alongside a series of images of her meeting Charles, the Welsh actor wrote: “God Save the King. God bless the Queen. All my love to King Charles and Queen Camilla.

“Right now I am here in Britain, in my best robe, eating scones with clotted cream and drinking copious amounts of English breakfast tea as I await history being made.”

Fry, who was among the 2,000 VIPs who attended the coronation, said the ceremony was “magnificent” in an interview with Press Association.

Praising the “inspiring” music, he said: “The principal one I suppose has to be Handel’s Zadok “The Priest” at the time of the anointing because it quotes a passage of the Bible, which is exactly consonant with this idea of anointing.

“And it just has this power that only Handel could muster - it’s similar to his “Hallelujah Chorus”, you know, just has this phenomenal sort of depth and force to it,” the 65-year-old comedian added.

Fry said the King “looked vulnerable, which all monarchs do when they’re being crowned” and compared the regalia he was bestowed with to “the encumbrances in life that you have if you’re a monarch”.

“He’s quite lonely somehow – as the Queen was if you watch the 1953 coronation – but I feel very lucky to have been there,” he shared.

Sir Paul McCartney posted a picture on Instagram of him and Charles on stage together, writing: “Enjoy this special day in our country’s history”.

John, who turned down the opportunity to perform at the Coronation Concert “due to scheduling issues”, also shared a tribute to Charles on Instagram.

“Congratulations to His Majesty King Charles III on his Coronation,” the “Tiny Dancer” hitmaker captioned his post.

Former England footballer David Beckham shared a picture of Charles in military uniform on Instagram.

His caption read: “Today our country comes together to celebrate the coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.”

His wife, fashion designer Victoria Beckham recalled “fond memories” of Charles over the years, describing him as “so supportive and kind”.

The former Spice Girl posted a number of images of the British girl group meeting the King as she wrote: “From then to now! I have so many fond memories of meeting His Majesty throughout my career, and he is always so supportive and kind.”

The Spice Girls’ official Instagram account also remembered the group’s famous encounter with Charles in 1997 where they broke royal protocol as Melanie Brown and Geri Horner gave him a kiss.

“Today marks the coronation of HM King Charles III. Here’s the first time we met at the Royal Gala in 1997”, they wrote alongside an image of the moment.

Former I’m A Celebrity winner Giovanna Fletcher, who is an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust (the charity founded in 1976 by the now King), wrote on Instagram: “I’ve seen first hand the impact King Charles has had through his work, and I look forward to seeing his passion to help others grow in the future.

“Having met the King a couple of times in the past, I have to say I’ve found him very driven in what he believes in, and a little bit cheeky!”

Follow The Independent’s live coverage of Coronation Day here.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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