Calgary Extends Congratulations to the New King
The City of Calgary joins cities across Canada and the Commonwealth in congratulating Buckingham Palace on His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation.
“The Coronation is a significant day, not only of celebration, but to focus ourselves towards new opportunities that bring the world together,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek. “This occasion provides an important opportunity to reaffirm our city’s commitment to our shared interests with the King, including fighting climate change, advancing Indigenous truth and reconciliation, and honouring religious diversity and multiculturalism."
As the longest-serving heir apparent, King Charles inherited the throne from his mother her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II when she passed in September 2022.
Essential elements of the Coronation have remained largely unchanged for the past thousand years and are rooted in longstanding tradition and pageantry.
“The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look toward the future,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. The service has been planned to be representative of different faiths and community groups, in line with the King's wish to reflect the ethnic diversity of modern Britain.
The Department of Canadian Heritage is leading an initiative to illuminate Canadian buildings and landmarks. Calgary’s TELUS Spark building will be illuminated May 6 in emerald green, which is the key colour in Heritage Canada’s Coronation emblem.
To honour reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples, Olympic Plaza will not be lit due to its proximity to the Residential School Memorial.
The Reconciliation Bridge, programmed by the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, will be illuminated in red on May 5 in tribute to the National Day of Awareness and Action for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. On May 6, the bridge will be lit in white to pay tribute to the full moon which plays an important part in Indigenous culture and traditions. In support of Wood’s Homes and National Child and Youth Mental Health Day, the bridge will be lit in green on Sunday, May 7.
As a legacy to King Charles and Queen Camilla, an event called The Big Help Out is supported by The Crown to encourage citizens to volunteer in areas that strengthen their community and create a legacy. In Calgary, National Volunteer Week was April 16 – 22, and volunteer opportunities can be found at volunteerconnector.org, The City of Calgary volunteer homepage, and on websites of many charitable organizations.
The Coronation will begin at 11 a.m. London time, or 5:00 a.m. Calgary time. Those who wish to watch the televised procession from Buckingham Palace should tune into the live broadcast even earlier.
The King and Queen Consort last visited Canada in 2022, as part of a three-day Royal tour to Newfoundland and Labrador, the National Capital Region, and the Northwest Territories. As the Prince of Wales, His Majesty visited Calgary once, in July 1977.
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