The British Ambassador to Albania, Alastair King-Smith hosted an event at the British Embassy in Tirana to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and used the opportunity to talk about the ongoing efforts to strengthen relations between Albania and the UK.

Guests including members of the British community in Albania, Albanians with strong connections to the UK, diplomats, journalists, and members of civil society gathered in the garden to enjoy traditional food and drinks and to watch the historic moment unfold.

King-Smith, dressed in full regalia, addressed the assembled guests in Albanian and English, giving an explanation of what was taking place, but also touching on the recently somewhat delicate relationship between the two countries.

As for the coronation itself, the ambassador explained that for the past 1000 years, British monarchs have been crowned at Westminster Abbey which was built by King Edward I, with his successor William the Conqueror being the first monarch to be crowned there in 1066. King Charles will be the fortieth.

“His Majesty is a very talented artist and donated a lithograph print of his then home at Highgrove to our charity. That one donation – to a little-known charity supporting a region forgotten by the world – raised enough money to fund our first kindergarten in Darfur, the first ever primary schooling in the region,” King-Smith said.