Insight into Coronation service for King Charles III to be given in talk at Trinity College, Cambridge

A talk about the Coronation of King Charles III is to be given next Tuesday (7 May) at Trinity College Chapel by Rev Canon Adrian Daffern, who spent four years as vicar of Great St Mary’s and was also made a fellow of Lucy Cavendish College during that time.

Adrian was commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury as principal author of the revised Coronation service. His research for, and preparation of, the liturgy lasted eight years, during which time he had access to the libraries of St John’s, Corpus Christi and Trinity colleges.

Adrian says: “While the historic heart of the service was very much in line with what had gone before, the overall theme of the service reflected the theme of serving others.

“The level of participation was much greater than ever before, with people of all faiths and cultural backgrounds taking important roles, and a congregation made up largely from people who made a real difference to their local communities.”

How was Adrian involved in the Coronation and what are his standout memories of the day?

“The Archbishop of Canterbury asked me to take on the job of revising the service, a process which involved many years of research and writing,” he replies.

“I worked with a great team of constitutional historians and liturgical theologians and the final result was very much a team effort.

“On the day I was very fortunate to serve as one of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s chaplains, which meant that I was able to take part in the service itself.”

While carrying out his research, Adrian “had the joy of being able to see lots of original documents and texts going back many hundreds of years – in one case nearly a thousand years”.

He adds: “Many of those texts can be found here in the libraries of various colleges in the University of Cambridge, who were immensely generous with their time and in allowing me access.

“A number of scholars in the university also gave their time freely to help, which was wonderful.”

Adrian, who is now a senior associate of Lucy Cavendish College, received the King’s Coronation Medal (KCM) at a ceremony conducted by the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE, in February, in recognition of his involvement with the Coronation.

“That was a really special moment – I am a state school-educated boy from a working class home in the West Midlands,” he notes, “and to find myself as a part of this whole process has been incredible.

“More than once I’ve had to pinch myself to make sure I’m not imagining everything!”

Adrian now works for the Church of England in London as the senior cathedral and major churches officer, helping the clergy and staff of these places of worship to use their historic buildings to serve their communities.

The talk, titled The Story of the Coronation Service, is sponsored by Catherine Jones and Mills & Reeve and is to raise funds for the Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity.

[Read more: King Charles coronation: Ely Cathedral to be lit red, white and blue]

It starts at 8pm, with a reception beforehand at 6.30pm in the Old Combination Room, Trinity College. For more information and tickets, which are priced £18 for the talk and £36 for the reception and the talk, visit bit.ly/3WgCVNn.