The myrrh to be used at the coronation ceremony of Britain’s King Charles III was consecrated in Jerusalem, reflecting the British monarch’s ties to the Holy Land. The relevant announcement was made yesterday (Friday) by Buckingham Palace. According to it, the patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III and the archbishop of the Anglican Church in Israel Hosam Naum consecrated the myrrh in the Church of the Resurrection, the announcement states.

King Charles will be anointed with the holy myrrh during his coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6. As per the ritual, the British monarch will smear myrrh on his hands, head and chest.

For the preparation of the myrrh, oils were collected from two olive groves on the Mount of Olives: the Holy Monastery of the Assumption and the Church of Mary Magdalene (where the remains of Charles’ grandmother, Princess Alice, are found).

The head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who will officiate at King Charles’ coronation, said the origin of myrrh reflected the “historical link between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land”. “From the ancient kings until today, monarchs received the anointing with myrrh from the Holy Land,” he underlined.

The myrrh – with rose, jasmine, bergamot, orange, musk, sesame and cinnamon essential oils – is similar to that used at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation 71 years ago.