When is it, where is it and what is going to happen?
It’s the biggest and most spectacular royal celebration in decades as on May 6 the coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, will take place at Westminster Abbey.
The world will be watching as King Charles and Queen Camilla travel in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, drawn by six Windsor Greys, in a procession to the abbey for the crowning of our new head of state, marking his formal investiture.
Queen Camilla will also be crowned at the same time during the first coronation to take place in almost 70 years, following the late Queen’s death.
Multiple faiths, cultures, and communities across the United Kingdom will be represented at the ceremony, the service shorter than Elizabeth II’S coronation in 1953.
The service will begin at 11am following arrival of Charles and Camilla in what is known as The King’s Procession.
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach, in which King Charles and Camilla will travel to Westminster Abbey, was created for Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate 60th anniversary of Her late Majesty’s reign in 2012. The royal coach has only ever been used by the Queen.
The outside features a gilded crown on the top carved from oak from HMS Victory, and the interiors have been made from woods, metals and materials from buildings and places with specific connections to Britain and its history including Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the historic Mary Rose.
During the King’s Procession, Charles and Camilla will leave Buckingham Palace through the Centre Gate, then travel down The Mall.
The coach will then pass through Admiralty Arch and along the south side of Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall and along Parliament Street to the Abbey.
The Coronation Procession will include Armed Forces from across the Commonwealth and the British Overseas Territories, and all Services of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, alongside The Sovereign’s Bodyguard and Royal Watermen.
Upon returning to Buckingham Palace following the Coronation Service, Their Majesties will receive a Royal Salute from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Armed Forces who will have been on parade that day.
The Royal Salute will be followed by three cheers from the assembled service personnel, as a tribute from the Armed Forces on parade to The King and The Queen Consort on the day of Their Majesties’ Coronation.
The procession back to Buckingham Palace will be larger than the one trevelling to the abbey and will be known as ‘The Coronation Procession’.
On the return to the palace the new King and Queen will be joined by other members of the Royal Family.
Camilla and Charles will return to the palace in the Gold State coach, drawn by eight Windsor Greys, which has been used at every coronation since 1831.
The ceremony in Westminster Abbey will begin with the anointing of charles, who will be 74 when he is crowned, which is the oldest a new monarch has been crowned.
The service will symbolise his spiritual entry into kingship, and then his crowning and enthronement, representing his assumption of temporal powers and responsibilities.
Two maces, made between 1660 and 1695, and the Sword of State will be carried into the abbey before the King. Also carried into the abbey will be the Sword of Spiritual Justice, the Sword of Temporal Justice, the blunt Sword of Mercy, and St Edward’s Staff.
The service will be conducted by the archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Charles sitting in King Edward’s Chair.
As is tradition, Charles will be crowned with St Edward’s crown. The crown
“The service will begin at 11am”
was made for King Charles II in 1661 as a replacement for a medieval crown that was melted down in 1649.
According to a Bukingham Palace statement the ceremony will “reflect the monarch’s role today” and the coronation will “look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”.
Camilla will also be crowned in a shorter and simpler ceremony. The Queen Consort Camilla will be anointed and then invested with the Queen Consort’s Ring, and handed the Queen Consort’s Sceptre with Cross, and the Queen Consort’s Rod with Dove.
Camilla will be crowned with Queen Mary’s crown, marking the first time an existing crown was used for the Queen Consort’s coronation.
The royal family will travel to Buckingham Palace in a state procession and appear on the balcony to celebrate the occasion.