Dr George Gross, a visiting research fellow at King's College London and co-founder of the British Coronations Project, says the crowning of William the Conqueror in 1066 set the tone for future coronations. While his reign was widely considered a success, the coronation itself was a disaster.
Historically coronations have been littered with mistakes and exclusions, but Gross says modern coronations are far more polished.
King Charles III has welcomed more diversity to the ceremony. And while the coronation remains a religious ceremony, Gross says there’s nothing intrinsically Christian about it.