Second time’s a charm as Coronation practice runs smoothly

IT MAY have proved chaotic during the first run through, but by the second everything had fallen into place.

The King and Queen would have been forgiven for allowing themselves a sigh of relief last night after the first full rehearsals of the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey were hailed a success.

One participant, who did not want to be identified, admitted that after the first walk through, he felt mildly concerned. “It was chaotic to start with,” he said. “I thought ‘oh God how are we going from here to …’. It just seemed a bit difficult to get going and it was hard work getting everyone lined up, but once it was going it flowed so beautifully the second time round.

“We fell into place immediately. I know that on the day it will work.”

The King and Queen were all smiles as they waved to onlookers and chatted animatedly to church officials outside Westminster Abbey before watching the beginning of the rehearsal yesterday morning.

The couple were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, for a run through of the service. The Princess Royal was also present.

With three days to go, the family appeared relaxed as they prepared to rehearse the two-hour ceremony and complex choreography that will be required of them on Saturday.

They were greeted by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev Dr David Hoyle, before being escorted into the Gothic church.

After the Royal family left, around 100 peers, aristocrats and members of the clergy who will play a role in the

‘There are a lot of tourists and they say they wish they had something like this in their country’

ceremony arrived for their run through.

The roles of the King and Queen were played by two women, thought to be church officials. The rehearsal ended with the National Anthem, which will also bring the ceremony to a close. And though the pews were empty, and those attending were dressed down, it was an emotional moment.

On Thursday, all involved, including the Royal family, are expected to return for a dress rehearsal.

The military rehearsed the processions to and from Buckingham Palace in the dead of night, with thousands of soldiers marching in their striking redand-black uniforms along the capital’s deserted streets. The Band of the Household Cavalry led the parade to the backdrop of the national anthem just after 12.20am on Tuesday.

Onlookers desperate for a glimpse of the spectacle filtered through St James’s Park to find a spot along the Mall, many of them families of the soldiers on parade.

They fell silent, captivated, as the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which will carry the King from the palace to the Abbey, emerged into view, pulled by six Windsor Grey horses.

Earlier, evening commuters watched at Waterloo as 6,000 soldiers who had arrived in London for the rehearsal marched through the station.

RAF and MOD officials are in talks with Buckingham Palace about the finale of the Coronation parade, during which the Red Arrows are planning to fly over Buckingham Palace as the Royal family watches from a balcony.

But while the rehearsals proved that practice can make perfect, no one can control the weather. The flypast could be cancelled after the Met Office forecast grey skies over the capital on Saturday afternoon, along with occasional bursts of rain.