King Charles III crowned at London's Westminster Abbey

King Charles III was crowned on Saturday in Britain's biggest ceremonial event for seven decades, a sumptuous display of pageantry dating back 1,000 years, Report informs via Reuters.

In front of a congregation of about 100 world leaders and a television audience of millions, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, slowly placed the 360-year-old St Edward's Crown on Charles' head as he sat upon a 14th-century throne in Westminster Abbey.

The historic and solemn event dates back to the time of the 74-year-old's predecessor William the Conqueror in 1066.

Charles' second wife Camilla, 75, will be crowned queen during the two-hour ceremony, which while rooted in history, is also an attempt to present a forward-looking monarchy, with those involved in the service reflecting a more diverse Britain and leaders from all faiths.

The coronation service for Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla is underway, a once-in-a-generation royal event that is being witnessed by hundreds of high-profile guests inside the abbey, as well as tens of thousands of well-wishers who have gathered in central London despite the rain, Report informs via CNN.

The King has taken the Coronation Oath and became the first monarch to pray aloud at his coronation. In his prayer he asked to “be a blessing” to people “of every faith and conviction.”

While Charles became King on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, the coronation is the formal crowning of the monarch. In a ceremony that is expected to last about two hours, Charles will be officially crowned, presented with an array of ceremonial objects and recognized as King by various representatives of the British state.

The ceremony is following a traditional template that has stayed much the same for more than 1,000 years.

However, it has been modernized in certain key ways. The archbishop has acknowledged the multiple faiths observed in the UK during the ceremony, saying the Church of England “will seek to foster an environment in which people of all faiths may live freely.”

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis (Parliament), Sahiba Gafarova, is representing Azerbaijan at the ceremony.