Crown frown?

At last the moment comes. Dressed in cloth-of-gold robes, the King sits in the Coronation Chair and receives his regaliaThe distinctive clothes people with high status use at formal occasions - particularly royals. . There is the Royal OrbA spherical object., representing religious and moral authority; the SceptreA decorated stick carried by a monarch or other figure of authority., representing power; and the Sovereign's Sceptre, symbolising justice and mercy. Finally, the Archbishop of CanterburyAlthough the head of the Church of England is the Queen, the Archbishop is the most senior bishop and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican communion. places St Edward's Crown on his head.

Charles III's coronation will undoubtedly be splendid. Its essential elements date back to 973, when King Edgar was crowned the first monarch of all England in Bath.¹ Since 1066 it has taken place in Westminster AbbeyA large church in London. Many British kings and queens are buried there., and the day will begin with a journey from Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, drawn by six horses.

Once Charles reaches the abbey, the service - which includes Holy CommunionIn Christianity, an important ritual symbolic of Jesus' last supper of bread and wine. - follows an order laid down in the 14th Century. He will be greeted with a trumpet fanfare and shouts of "God save the King!" from the congregation. He will then swear to uphold the law and the Church of England.

Next, the King sits in the 700-year-old Coronation Chair to be anointed with holy oil by the archbishop using a medieval spoon. This is such a sacred ceremony that a gold cloth is held up to hide him from view.

After receiving the regalia and crown, he moves to a throne to receive the homage of the bishops and peers in the congregation. Then comes the crowning of the Queen.

Finally, the King puts on a purple velvet robe and swaps King Edward's Crown for the lighter ImperialRelating to an empire. State Crown. Carrying the Orb and Sceptre, he processes through the abbey.

His journey back to Buckingham Palace will be in an even grander coach, the Gold State Coach. The procession will include 6,000 members of the armed forces.

Yet compared to the last coronation, when 16,000 people took part in Queen Elizabeth's procession, it will be a scaled-down affair. In the abbey there will be 2,000 guests rather than 8,000, and the service is expected to be much shorter than 1953's three-hour event.

A monarch does not have to have a coronation: Charles became king automatically on his mother's death. Some people consider it outdated and a waste of money, particularly when so many are facing a cost-of-living crisis. But others see it as a valuable tradition which brings the nation together and impresses other countries.

Buckingham Palace is aiming for a compromise, saying that the coronation will "reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry".

The dress code will be less formal than in the past: members of the House of the Lords can wear ordinary suits rather than special coronation robes and coronets.

There will also be a wider range of people present. The guest list includes 850 community representatives who are being recognised for their charitable contributions.

And although the ceremony is a deeply Christian one, it is expected that representatives of other faiths will take part, reflecting the make-up of modern Britain.

Yes: It is ridiculous to pretend that our world has anything in common with that of King Edgar. Tradition is a weapon of inequality and unfairness that holds back progress and democracy.

No: It gives us a sense of perspective, reminding us that our civilisation is underpinned by principles established over many generations, and that we do not necessarily know best about everything.

Or... There is no point in being half-hearted about tradition - you should embrace it fully or not at all. Charles is making a mistake by watering it down and making the coronation less splendid.