King Charles III’s coronation, which takes place on Saturday 6 May, is set to be attended by 2,000 guests, including foreign monarchs throughout Europe.
The coronation will be held in London at Westminster Abbey, which can seat up to 2,200 people. The limited guest list marks a departure from the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, which was attended by 8,000 guests with 129 nations and territories officially represented at the ceremony.
In early April, Buckingham Palace unveiled the official invites for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation. The elaborate invitation, which was reportedly sent to 2,000 people, invited guests to attend “The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla – By Command of the King the Earl Marshall is directed to invite…to be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster on 6th day of May 2023.”
As the King’s coronation fast approaches, there’s been much speculation over who will be attending the “slimmed-down” service. While members of the British royal family are likely to attend, many royal families across Europe are also expected to attend the coronation.
The move marks a break from royal tradition. According to The Telegraph, the coronation was considered “a sacred ceremony between a monarch and their people in the presence of God,” but Charles “is set to do away with the tradition and invite his counterparts from around the world.”
Here’s a list of all the European royals who have confirmed their attendance so far.
On 11 April, Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Crown Princess Kiko of Japan confirmed they will be attending the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, according to local media.
The Imperial Household Agency announced they received an invitation from the British royal family in March requesting that the head of state or proxy attend the ceremony. The crown prince will represent his brother, Emperor Naruhito, at the coronation, seeing as the emperor doesn’t attend foreign royal coronations per protocol. However, Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, attended the Queen’s funeral last September.
The Danish royal family also confirmed their attendance at the coronation earlier this month. In an announcement shared to the Danish Royal House’s website, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark said they will “participate in the coronation of HRH King Charles III and Queen Camilla of Great Britain” at Westminster Abbey in London. Frederik attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September with his mother, Queen Margrethe II.
In addition to Denmark’s royal family, the Swedish Royal Court has also confirmed the coronation attendance of King Carl XVI Gustaf, along with his daughter and heir, Crown Princess Victoria. The Swedish monarch is one of the few foreign rulers to attend the British king’s coronation, rather than sending a consort to represent him.
Prince Albert II of Monaco was the first foreign head of state to confirm he would be attending the King’s coronation. In January, Monaco’s reigning sovereign told People that he and his wife, Princess Charlene, will be among the guests at Westminster Abbey.
“I’m certain that it’s going to be an incredible ceremony and a very moving one,” the 64-year-old royal said. “We’ve maintained contact since His Majesty became King, but I haven’t talked to him personally since the Queen’s funeral.”
The prince shared that he’s “certain” the King will add his own “personal touches” to the coronation. However, he was unsure whether their eight-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, will be invited.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain confirmed their attendance on 11 April, as well as King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will also attend the coronation, while their daughter, Princess Catharina-Amalia, and Willem-Alexander’s mother, Princess Beatrix, will attend the reception at Buckingham Palace on 5 May.
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will represent Norway at the coronation, following their recent visit to the UK where they were hosted by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle in March. Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand-Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg will also attend, along with Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and her son and daughter-in-law, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal.
A source previously told The Mail on Sunday: “At the Queen’s Coronation there were no crowned monarchs, only the protectorate rulers like the Queen of Tonga. It’s been a tradition for centuries. Inviting the King of Jordan, the Sultan of Brunei, the Sultan of Oman and the Scandinavian royals – who are all friends of Charles – will be a good bit of soft power and diplomacy.”
Buckingham Palace previously announced that King Charles III has invited more than 850 community and charity representatives to his and Queen Camilla’s coronation. More than 450 British Empire Medal (BEM) recipients were invited to see the service from inside Westminster Abbey, while some 400 young people representing charities will be able to watch the coronation and procession from a “special private viewing” at the nearby St Margaret’s Church.
Although not a foreign monarch, President Joe Biden has confirmed that he will not be attending King Charles III’s coronation. Instead, his wife First Lady Jill Biden will be going “on behalf of the United States”.
