The oil to anoint King Charles in his coronation on 6 May is one of the most sacred and mysterious parts of the ceremony – and a new animal-cruelty free version has been prepared for the event, according to the BBC.
Previous versions of the “chrism” oil had included civet oil, from the glands of small mammals, and ambergris from the intestines of whales, the 3 March report said.
However, to reflect modern animal-friendly sensitivities, the oil to be used at the coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will not include any ingredients from animals, according to the report.
The oil for the coronation was consecrated in a religious ceremony in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was built on the site where Jesus was believed to have died and was buried, the report said.
Regarded as a moment of national pageantry and historic rituals, the coronation also has a strong religious element, according to the report, with the anointing of the King having echoes of a christening or the ordination into religious orders, with the monarch being symbolically touched with holy oil on the head, chest and hands.
This was considered such a sacred moment that the television cameras were not allowed to film it at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 – and there had been speculation about whether the anointing would be televised during King Charles’ coronation, the report said.
The new oil includes olive oil scented with a mix of essential oils - sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli and benzoin - with orange blossom also added, according to the report. Olives from the Mount of Olives, a site outside Jerusalem with many biblical connections, were used to make the latest version of the sacred oil.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, welcomed the use of oil from the Mount of Olives.
“Since beginning the planning for the coronation, my desire has been for a new coronation Oil to be produced using olive oil from the Mount of Olives. This demonstrates the deep historic link between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land,” he was quoted as saying.
“From ancient kings through to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place.”
