St Edmundsbury Cathedral hosted the County Service for HM Lord- Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare, Countess of Euston, to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The service at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, included prayers and music reflecting the Coronation Service the day before at Westminster Abbey. The Leiston Royal British Legion Band played a Fanfare to mark the start of the service which included a procession of civic leaders, judges, the Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, and Suffolk’s High Sheriff, Mark Pendlington.
The service included Readings by young people and armed forces in Suffolk. The Rt Revd Martin Seeley, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, led the service. He said: “The County Coronation Celebration was a wonderful opportunity to bring together people from across Suffolk to mark this historic occasion and to pray for King Charles and Queen Camilla at the beginning of the King’s reign. The County Service drew inspiration from the Coronation Service held in Westminster Abbey and many of those involved have been invited so that they may reflect the county of Suffolk and our ties with the King. We feel privileged to have a special link through the King’s involvement as a patron of the Millennium project which saw the completion of the Cathedral tower, now one of the most iconic buildings in Suffolk.”
The Service was attended by over 500 people including HM Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare, Countess of Euston, the High Sheriff of Suffolk, Mark Pendlington and representatives from interfaith, ecumenical, civic, military and charitable organisations.
King Charles III was the patron of the Millennium Project, which saw the building of the Cathedral tower from 1999 to 2005, with the vaulted ceiling finished in 2010. He visited the Cathedral multiple times during the build and described the tower as, “a spiritual beacon for the new Millennium.” In 2011, a commemorative plaque for the project was installed at the Cathedral and the service was attended by King Charles III, then HRH The Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall, now the Queen Consort.