Time quickly arrived at the end of November 1869, which was also the date the Spanish government had prepared for King Carlo I's coronation ceremony.
Prim attached great importance to this coronation ceremony, inviting the European powers including Britain, France, Prussia, Russia, Italy, and Austria, as well as established European monarchies like Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
However, different countries had different attitudes towards the Spanish King's coronation ceremony, and the status of the envoys they sent varied greatly.
The countries that seemed to attach the most importance were Italy and Portugal.
Italy was easy to understand; Carlo was born into the Italian royal family and was the son of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, so it was natural for him to be given importance.
As for Portugal, firstly, Carlo's elder sister, Queen Maria Pia, was married to King Luis I of Portugal, establishing a marital relationship between the two countries.
Secondly, as the only two countries on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain posed a significant threat to Portugal.
The Portuguese government wanted to use this ceremony to gauge the attitude of Spain's new king, Carlo, towards Portugal, to make appropriate preparations.
Although most European countries were among those invited to the coronation, the overall scale of the ceremony was not large, as the Spanish government did not have much funding to invest in the event.
It wasn't that Prim didn't value Carlo's coronation. However, the current Spanish government was simultaneously supporting the suppression of colonial rebellions and undertaking various reforms, making it genuinely difficult to allocate large sums of money for a coronation ceremony.
Carlo also didn't care how grand his coronation ceremony was. Gaining the recognition of the Spanish people was the most important thing; a larger scale might even be counterproductive.
Through agricultural tax cuts and free literacy education, Carlo had still accumulated a certain amount of prestige in the hearts of the Spanish people.
At least this coronation ceremony was supported by the Spanish people, with many Spaniards participating at the scene, making it look lively and bustling.
Under everyone's expectant gazes, a well-trained royal guard protected several carriages bearing the coat of arms of the Spanish House of Savoy, slowly approaching the Parliament building.
Inside the carriage, the regally dressed Carlo sat solemnly, with his palace steward, Laurent, beside him, reminding Carlo about the coronation ceremony procedures.
"Your Majesty, please remember to smile." The second before Carlo stepped out of the carriage, Laurent didn't forget to continue reminding him.
Carlo nodded, and the moment he stepped out of the carriage, the surrounding Spanish onlookers immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Of course, those leading the cheers were definitely pre-arranged by the government. At such a significant moment, it would be impossible not to arrange a few people to stir up the public's emotions.
Carlo smiled and waved very amiably to the cheering crowd, showing no kingly airs.
It was at this moment that the Spanish people got a clear look at their king – a young, handsome man, a stark contrast to Queen Isabella.
"This is what our king should look like," many Spaniards couldn't help but think to themselves.
For those Spaniards who still supported the monarchy, their greatest desire was for Spain to have a wise and capable monarch, preferably one who also cared about the plight of the lower-class Spaniards.
Based on Carlo's actions so far, although he was still far from being a wise and capable monarch, Carlo had indeed shown an attitude different from Queen Isabella II when it came to caring for the common people.
One had to admit that relying on one's looks was effective in any era.
Not only did Carlo have good looks, but his height had also surpassed 1.8 meters, and his physique was quite robust.
Coupled with his noble status as king and his aura of wealth and abundance, he quickly attracted the favor of many Spanish girls.
If a media organization were to rank the most popular men in Spain right now, Carlo would definitely be on the list, and getting the top spot wouldn't be difficult.
Maintaining his gentle smile, Carlo slowly walked into the Parliament building while waving to the crowd.
Part of the guard behind him remained around the carriages, while the other part stood guard around the Parliament building.
At the entrance of the Parliament building, Spanish Prime Minister Prim had been waiting eagerly. Upon Carlo's arrival, he offered a formal Spanish noble bow, then respectfully led the monarch inside.
Inside the Parliament Hall on the first floor, an audience had already gathered. Spanish nobles, members of parliament, a select group of invited foreign guests, and a few prominent religious figures had been waiting for some time in anticipation of Carlo's appearance.
The person who would crown Carlo was the Primate of Spain, Archbishop Pedro of Toledo.
A bishop crowning a king was a tradition in Europe since ancient times, and it was almost the default practice before Napoleon.
And the status of the bishop who crowned the monarch seemed to subtly determine the legitimacy of the crowned monarch.
Therefore, whether it was for his own legitimacy in the eyes of the people or to reassure Spain's complex religious forces, an archbishop with sufficient status was needed to crown Carlo.
In fact, the best choice would have been Pope Pius IX. But the Pope had just been driven out of Rome by the Italian government, his territory shrinking from the vast Papal States to the tiny Vatican, so how could he possibly crown Carlo, who was also from the House of Savoy?
Although military means could be used to threaten Pius IX into coming to Madrid to crown him, it might backfire and cause dissatisfaction among the Catholic Spanish population.
It was better to have the Primate of Spain perform the coronation; after all, the Archbishop of Toledo's status in Spain was already sufficient.
"Your Majesty Carlo. Are you willing to dedicate your life for Spain?" Archbishop Pedro asked with a solemn expression, holding the crown representing the King of Spain.
"I am willing."
Archbishop Pedro nodded and said solemnly, "In the name of God, I bestow upon you the crown of Spain. May you be merciful to your people and loyal to your country."
After undergoing the long and complex coronation process, Archbishop Pedro of Toledo finally placed the crown, representing the Spanish throne, upon Carlo's head under the gaze of everyone present.
With the Spanish crown on his head and the scepter symbolizing royal power in his hand, Carlo's gaze swept across the Spanish nobles and parliamentarians, his heart filled with pride and vigor.
"Hail His Majesty the King."
Seeing that the time was right, Prim, who was standing by, led the way in performing the noble bow to Carlo.
"Your Majesty the King!"
In unison, the Spanish parliamentarians and nobles, including Archbishop Pedro of Toledo, bowed their heads to the new King of Spain.
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