The coronation of King Charles is taking place this weekend. Pubs, clubs and bars in England and Wales will be able to continue serving customers for two hours beyond their usual closing time, with the extended licensing hours applying from 11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Here is a look at what is happening and how the coronation celebrations will unfold.
Saturday 6 May
Westminster Abbey will take centre stage when the King is crowned at midday UK time during the coronation ceremony.
The service will begin at 1100 local time [0500 CT, 0400 ET] and will continue until 1300, when the newly crowned King and Queen embark on their coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.
Royal fans can tune into the entire spectacle, which will be filmed live by the BBC. In the US – ABC, CBS and NBC – as well as cable channels CNN and Fox News, will all have live coverage of the coronation.
Viewers can look out for heads of state, overseas government representatives, government ministers, first ministers, former prime ministers, foreign royals and members of the royal family among the congregation.
After arriving back at the palace, Charles and Camilla will receive a royal salute from the military in the palace gardens at 1345 (0745 CT, 0845 ET).
This will be followed by a balcony moment at 1415 (0815 CT, 0915 ET) when Charles and Camilla will be joined by other members of the royal family to watch a flypast.
Sunday 7 May
A day of street parties and coronation Big Lunches is encouraged up and down the country ahead of a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle.
Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville will host the show, which will feature Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
The line-up will also include Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench.
The event in the grounds of the castle, which is expected to begin at 2000 local time [1400 CT, 1500 ET], will be watched by a crowd of 20,000 members of the public and invited guests and broadcast across BBC television and radio stations.
Monday 8 May
Monday will be a special bank holiday for those in the UK and has been set aside for volunteering in a tribute to the King’s lifetime of public service.
Buckingham Palace said the day “will encourage people to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas”.
The aim of The Big Help Out is to use volunteering to bring communities together and create a lasting volunteering legacy from the coronation weekend.
More than 1,500 charities are involved in The Big Help Out and the minister for ceremonial events, including the coronation, Stuart Andrew, said it will “shine a spotlight on the power of volunteering to help our communities”.
He added: “It is a tribute to His Majesty the King’s lifetime of public service and a wonderful way to begin this new age.”
