King's Coronation: Anointing oil to be animal-free
- Published
- comments
The silver urn containing the anointing oil for the coronation
A super-secret oil used in the coronation of Kings and Queens of England for hundreds of years will be animal-free for King Charles III's ceremony this year.
The special oil is used to mark a cross on the King's forehead (which is called anointing) during the ceremony when he is crowned King and head of the Church of England.
The oil was made at a site that is holy to Christians, called the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
The King's coronation will happen on Saturday 6 May, and we'll get a bank holiday off because of it and the ceremony will include many ancient artefacts and traditions.
Why is the anointing oil special?
The sacred oil was blessed by priests in Jerusalem
The oil used during the anointing is so special because it's always come from the same place in Jerusalem - a city special to many religions, including Christianity.
The oil's recipe has been a closely guarded secret for centuries.
The anointing is considered so sacred and secret, during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation they put a canopy over it so people couldn't see!
But this oil is unusual because, for the first time, it's not got any oil from animals in it. Historic anointing oils have included products from whales and civet cats.
This anointing oil is made of olive oil, sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber - as well as orange blossom.
Although King Charles became King as soon as his mum Queen Elizabeth II died there is a special ceremony to crown him
King Charles will have to take an oath (a special promise) to be a good King
It's an important religious ceremony because the King is the head of the Church of England
It's also a time the country can celebrate its traditions
There'll be lots of fancy outfits, parades and music surrounding it
The Coronation Spoon is used to collect the oil to anoint The King
As part of the sacred ceremony the anointing oil is poured onto a golden spoon which is known to be at least 700 years old.
The Archbishop of Canterbury (senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England) says the oil used in the ceremony has been used when crowning "ancient kings through to the present day".
The Coronation Spoon has been used for the crowning of every King and Queen since the 1600s.
The special anointing oil is poured from the vessel (pictured at the top of this article) and onto the spoon, then the Archbishop dabs his finger on the spoon and touches the hand, breast and forehead of the King and Queen Consort.