[WATCH] King Charles III crowned at Westminster Abbey in London

Britain has crowned King Charles III in an eighth-century ritual that still bears the unabashed pageantry of a fairy tale, unseen since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, his mother, in 1953.

“I come not to be served, but to serve,” Charles said in his first remarks of the ceremony, setting the theme for the intimate yet grand proceedings.

The king, 74, was anointed with holy oil, symbolising the sacred nature of his rule. He was vested with an imperial mantle, and the archbishop of Canterbury placed the ancient crown of St. Edward onto his head. Once crowned, Charles and Camilla returned to Buckingham Palace in a golden stagecoach used by Elizabeth II for her coronation procession.

Charles and Camilla weere each anointed with holy oil that was consecrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. It was harvested from the Mount of Olives. The archbishop used a silver coronation spoon, dating from 1349, to perform the anointment.

The procession after the coronation will be a lavish spectacle that beggars description: 19 military bands and 4,000 troops, stretching a mile from the palace gates. The king and his family will watch from the balcony as more than 60 aircraft — fighter jets, helicopters and World War II-vintage Spitfires — roaring overhead in a display that is, by custom, the grand finale of the royal celebration.

Millions of people across the UK celebrated the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, where he was crowned along with Camilla, the Queen Consort, as the 40th reigning monarch crowned there since 1066.

Large crowds descended on London, with some royal fans spending the past few days camping along the 2km route. Their desire to secure the best vantage point for the procession was tested on Friday when London was repeatedly doused by heavy rain and hail.

Some have objected to millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money being spent on a lavish ceremony at a time when millions of Britons are suffering a severe cost-of-living crisis.

Prince Charles Philip Arthur George has been proclaimed as King Charles III in a ceremony at St James's Palace last September, following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.