What is holy oil used in the King's coronation and how is it made?

King Charles III will officially be crowned as monarch at his coronation ceremony on Saturday.

The service at Westminister Abbey will be full of tradition and contain five main elements: the Recognition; the Oath; the Anointing; the Investiture and Crowning; and the Enthronement and Homage, as well as the Queen Consort’s coronation.

The most sacred parts is the Anointing - the moment holy oil is applied to King Charles III which is the central act of the religious ceremony and takes place in private.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

The King will first remove his crimson Robe of State and sit in the Coronation Chair – made for King Edward I in around 1300 – and wear a simple white shirt, representing that he comes before God as a servant.

An 2.6m high three-sided Anointing screen - which features an embroidered tree celebrating the Commonwealth – will first be placed around the monarch and Coronation Chair.

The Dean of Westminster will then pour holy oil from the ampulla, which is an eagle-shaped vessel, into the coronation spoon. This object is the oldest object in the coronation regalia and is a solid gold flask shaped like an eagle.

Using his fingers, the Archbishop of Canterbury will then anoint the King on his hands, breast, and head, before the screen is removed.

But what is the holy oil and what is it made of?

The holy oil used in the coronation was made sacred in Jerusalem, and consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem.

It was created using olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives and pressed just outside Bethlehem, and perfumed with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin, amber and orange blossom.

Some of