For the first British coronation in seventy years, both royal enthusiasts and heads of state are travelling to London.
King Charles III and Camilla, the queen consort, are expected to be crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, continuing a tradition that extends back more than a thousand years.
Technically, King Charles is already Britain’s chief of state, having assumed the position after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away in September.
However, the ceremony involves more than simply anointing the new monarch. Through Monday, the event will be replete with celebrations, performances, and royal customs not seen since 1953, when Elizabeth was crowned queen.
Here is an outline of the weekend’s events, which are expected to cost U.K. taxpayers over $125 million, as well as information on how to watch them live.
A 3-Day Celebration
As part of the King’s Procession, King Charles and Camilla will travel by horse-drawn carriage along the broad, tree-lined Mall from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning.
The majority of the coronation service is a religious ceremony led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The anointing, which consists of placing consecrated oil on the monarch’s hands, chest, and crown, has never been televised, but there have been rumours that this may change this time.
King Charles and Camilla will return to Buckingham Palace in an even larger ceremonial procession following the service. They will join the royal family on the balcony of the palace, where the day’s public celebrations will culminate with a military flypast and regal wave.
A special coronation concert will be produced and broadcast live by the BBC on Sunday at 8 p.m. local time, or 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Musical icons from around the world, including American pop vocalists Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, and Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, are expected to perform at Windsor Castle.
Coronation timetable
Here is full breakdown of the key timings for the historic day:
- 6am – viewing areas open along the procession route
- 7.15-8.30am – guests to Westminster Abbey begin to arrive at security checkpoints in Victoria Tower Gardens
- 9am – the congregation will be seated inside the abbey
- 9.30-10.45am – heads of state, overseas government representatives, Government ministers, First Ministers, former PMs, foreign royals and members of the Royal Family arrive
- 9.45am – the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry begin to gather for the procession from Buckingham Palace
- 10.20am – the King and Queen’s procession sets off from the palace
- 10.53am – the King and Queen arrive at Westminster Abbey
- 11am – Charles and Camilla enter the abbey through the Great West Door and the service begins
- 12.01pm – the King is crowned. The Archbishop of Canterbury places the St Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head. Trumpets will sound and gun salutes will be fired across the UK
- 1pm – the service ends and the newly crowned King and Queen begin their coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach
- 1.30pm – Charles and Camilla are expected to enter Buckingham Palace through the centre gate
- 1.45pm – the King and Queen receive a royal salute from the military in the palace gardens
- Around 2.15pm – the King, Queen and members of the Royal Family appear on the Palace balcony for the flypast by aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, including the Red Arrows
Where to watch all the action
Saturday’s coronation ceremony is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. local time, or 6 a.m. ET. The duration of the event will be approximately three hours.
At 1 a.m. ET, NPR.org will begin streaming special coverage of the event.
Additionally, the royal family’s YouTube channel will simulcast the service. BBC will commence live coverage of the coronation at 7:30 a.m. local time, or 2:30 a.m. ET, on BBC News and BBC iPlayer, its video-on-demand platform.
Other networks will also be broadcasting and streaming live.
After the coronation
Thousands of street parties will be conducted this weekend to celebrate the coronation of the King.
People are encouraged to attend a “coronation big lunch” on Sunday.
The nationwide event has been organised by the Big Lunch, an initiative founded at the Eden Project that brings neighbours and communities together to share friendship, food, and fun.
In the evening, approximately 20,000 individuals are anticipated to attend the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle.
Hugh Bonneville will host the programme, which will feature performances by Take That, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Tiwa Savage, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, seasoned rock guitarist Steve Winwood, and Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls.
At 8 p.m., the Coronation Concert will air on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2, and BBC Sounds.
Tom Cruise, Dame Joan Collins, Bear Grylls, and singer Sir Tom Jones will also appear via video message.
As part of the Coronation Concert, lasers, projections, and drone displays will emanate from ten historic bridges and structures across the nation.
The UK will observe a bank holiday on Monday, May 8, two days after the coronation of the King and Queen.
It will coincide with the Big Help Out, which is being organised by the Together Coalition and a large number of partners, including the Scouts, the Royal Voluntary Service, and faith groups from across the United Kingdom. The Big Help Out aims to inspire and recruit a new generation of volunteers.
Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that although King Charles and Queen Camilla are “entirely supportive” of the Big Help Out initiatives, they will not be attending any of the events in person.
Legacy
The final coronation of Queen Elizabeth captivated audiences worldwide. It is uncertain whether the coronation of King Charles and his wife will generate the same enthusiasm.
From the treatment of Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle (who will not be attending the service), to the renewed scrutiny of British colonialism, which may be behind the royal family’s decision not to display the controversial Kohinoor diamond at the coronation, the royal family has received widespread criticism for offences both old and new.
The ceremony is a measure of the monarch’s ability to adapt to changing times and engage with a younger, more diverse United Kingdom.
