Emma Thompson, Ant and Dec and Katy Perry are among the star-studded guests to have begun arriving at Westminster Abbey for King Charles III’s coronation.
More than 2,000 people have been invited to witness the crowning of King Charles and Queen Camilla today (May 6), a dramatically slimmed-down ceremony compared to the roughly 8,000 who attended the Coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
Lionel Richie, who will be performing at the Coronation concert, and comedian Stephen Fry have also been spotted amongst the fray in central London.
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska will also be among the guests of honour. She arrived in the UK on Friday and was greeted by Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, outside 10 Downing Street.
It’s not confirmed if the Ukraine president has been invited and attending the ceremony.
Attendees include world leaders, foreign dignitaries, and members of the public, including some controversial figures.
One high-profile figure who will be notable in her absence is the Duchess of Sussex, who has confirmed she will remain in California with her children. Announcing her absence, the palace said: “Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
Another familiar face who won’t be there to pay her respects is Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, who has reportedly not been invited to the event. The Duchess confirmed the news herself, telling Loose Women: “I personally will be having a little tearoom and coronation chicken sandwich and putting out the bunting, that’s what I’m going to be doing. Because that would make me very happy.”
The slimmed-down celebration makes the difficult decision of who should make the cut even more complicated, which has seen a couple of confirmed names raise eyebrows — namely Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O’Neill and controversial Chinese official Han Zheng, who oversaw a civil liberties crackdown in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the late Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Charles Spencer, has not been invited, according to the Independent.
Although there has been no official list, here are the guests reported to be attending the historic ceremony.
The British Royal Family
While it hasn’t yet been publicly confirmed, it is guaranteed that nearly the entire British Royal Family will be in attendance. Members from across the family, including Charles’s sister Princess Anne, his son Prince William, and daughter-in-law Princess Catherine will all attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Their young children will also be involved — Prince George will be a page of honour, while Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte will be present, too.
Despite ongoing tensions, Prince Harry has also confirmed his attendance, but Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will stay in California, where the family live.
The King’s disgraced brother, Prince Andrew, will also attend, but as he is not working royal, he will likely not appear on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony following the ceremony.
Many of the Queen Consort’s family will also be in attendance. Her former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, along with her children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, and their families, Annabel Elliot, the Queen’s sister, the Queen’s nieces Alice Irwin, Katie Elliot, and Ayesha Shand, and nephew Ben Elliot are all expected. Three of her grandsons and one of her grand-nephews will serve as pages of honour.
British royals and aristocrats set to attend
- Prince and Princess of Wales
- Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis
- Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex
- Prince Andrew, Duke of York
- Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, and Sir Timothy Laurence
- Peter Phillips
- Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall
- Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
- Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
- Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh
- The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
- Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones
- David Armstrong Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon
- Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley
- Samuel Chatto
- Arthur Chatto
- Lady Gabriella Kingston and Thomas Kingston
- Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto
- Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
- Lord Frederick Windsor and Sophie Winkleman
- Lord Nicholas Windsor
- Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy
- George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
- Lady Helen Taylor
- Lady Rose Gilman
- The Duke and Duchess of Kent
- Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
- Lady Davina Windsor
- James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex
- Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
- Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles
- Tom Parker Bowles and Freddy Parker Bowles
- Annabel Elliot. Katie Elliot, and Arthur Elliot
- Lady Lansdowne
- Laura, Gus, and Louis Lopes,
- Lord Oliver Cholmondeley
- Nicholas Barclay
- Ralph Tollemache
- Lord Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton
- Alice Irwin
- Ayesha Shand
Foreign royalty
In a break with hundreds of years of royal tradition, King Charles has also added a swathe of foreign royals to the Coronation guest list, as part of his plan to modernise the ceremony.
“For centuries, convention dictated that no other crowned royals should be present at the coronation of a British monarch because the sacred ceremony is intended to be an intimate exchange between the monarch and their people in the presence of God,” a source told the Mail On Sunday.
At Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation, Queen SÄlote Tupou III of Tonga was one of the only foreign monarchs to attend.
But as part of his plan to bring the ceremony up to date, King Charles has “decided to move on from the 900-year-old tradition by inviting his crowned friends, including European royals and rulers from Arab states,” the newspaper reports.
The source added: "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."
Foreign royals set to attend:
- Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene (confirmed)
- Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand-Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg (confirmed)
- King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium (confirmed)
- King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden (confirmed)
- Queen Anne-Marie, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece (confirmed)
- King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (confirmed)
- Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia (confirmed)
- Margareta of Romania (confirmed)
- MÄori King TÅ«heitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII and Queen Te Atawhai (confirmed)
- Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary (representing Queen Margrethe II of Denmark) (confirmed)
- Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (representing the King and Queen of Norway) (confirmed)
- Crown Prince Fumihito of Japan (representing Emperor Naruhito of Japan) (confirmed)
- King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
- King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan
- The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein
- The Sultan of Brunei
- The Sultan of Oman
- The King of Morocco
- The King and Queen of Bhutan
- The Emir of Qatar
- The Ruler of Dubai
- The Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates
- Crown Prince of Bahrain
- Crown Prince of Kuwait
- King Letsie III of Lesotho
- The King of Tonga
- His Majesty the Yang di Pertuan Agong and Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia
- The Hereditary Prince of Baden
- Chinese vice-president Han Zheng
British MPs and peers
Approximately 80 British MPs and peers are set to attend. The Telegraph reported that initially only 20 MPs and 20 peers would be invited, but these numbers more than doubled after uproar from Parliamentarians about the slimmed-down list.
According to the newspaper, an extra event for MPs and peers took place on Tuesday, with a special reception in Westminster Hall attended by the King.
“This will ease the pressure on tickets in the abbey,” a source said. “It is one way of trying to say, ‘Look, the King is coming to see you’.”
Former prime ministers Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Sir Tony Blair, and Sir John Major will also attend, accompanied by their spouses (other MPs’ spouses did not make the cut).
Confirmed British MPs and peers set to attend:
- Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister
- Oliver Dowden, Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Alex Chalk, Justice Secretary
- Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor
- James Cleverly, Foreign Secretary
- Suella Braverman, Home Secretary
- Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary
- Michelle Donelan, Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary
- Michael Gove, Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary
- Steve Barclay, Health Secretary
- Penny Mordaunt, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the Commons
- Kemi Badenoch, Business and Trade Secretary
- Therese Coffey, Environment Secretary
- Mel Stride, Work and Pensions Secretary
- Gillian Keegan, Education Secretary
- Mark Harper, Transport Secretary
- Lucy Frazer, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary
- Chris Heaton-Harris, Northern Ireland Secretary
- Alister Jack, Scotland Secretary
- David T C Davies, Wales Secretary
- Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader
- Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons
- Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales
- Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Scotland
- Michael D Higgins, President of Ireland
- Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach (Irish premier)
- Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s leader in Northern Ireland
- Boris Johnson
- Liz Truss
- Theresa May
- David Cameron
- Gordon Brown
- Tony Blair
- John Major
- The Lord Mayor of London
- Joseph Morrow, the Lord Lyon King of Arms
- Antonia Romeo, Clerk of the Crown in Chancery
- Duke of Norfolk, the Earl Marshal
- Lord True, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
- Baroness Smith of Basildon, leader of the opposition of the House of Lords
- The Lord Great Chamberlain, the 7th Baron Carrington
- Merlin Hay, the Earl of Errol
- Simon Abney-Hastings, the Earl of Loudoun
- Alexander Henry Scrymgeour, the Earl of Dundee
- Delaval Thomas Harold Astley, the Baron Hastings
- Barons of the Cinque Ports
It is unknown whether Dominic Raab has been uninvited.
Foreign politicians
A host of political leaders from around the world are expected to attend the Coronation, with one notable absence.
US President Joe Biden confirmed to King Charles in a phonecall that he would not be attending the Coronation, and would instead be represented by his wife and US first lady, Jill Biden.
It is not unusual for US presidents to skip the British Coronation: no US leader has attended the ceremony. Elizabeth’s Coronation, in 1953, was not attended by then-president Dwight Eisenhower, although the US did send an appointed delegation.
We can expect to see an array of other heads of state from across the globe, as well as all three presidents of the EU.
Foreign heads of state and politicians set to attend
- Olena Zelenska, Ukraine First Lady
- Emmanuel Macron, President of France
- Jill Biden, US First Lady
- Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission
- Charles Michel, EU Council President
- Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia
- President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany
- President Sergio Mattarella of Italy
- President and First Lady of the Philippines
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan
- President Andrzej Duda of Poland
- Borjana Krišto, the chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor-General of New Zealand, and her husband, Dr Richard Davies
- Christopher Luxon, leader of the opposition in New Zealand
- Mary Simon, Governor-General of Canada
- Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Nikos Christodoulides, President of Cyprus
Members of the public
Some members of the public, particularly representatives of charities that King Charles and Queen Camilla support, will be present at the ceremony.
In April, Buckingham Palace shared that 850 community and charity representatives will be in attendance, including more than 450 ‘Covid heroes’ awarded the British Empire Medal in recognition of their efforts during the lockdowns.
Additionally, 400 young people representing charitable organisations, including the Prince’s Trust, Barnardo’s, the Scout Association, and Girlguiding UK, will be able to watch the service and procession at a special private viewing from St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey.
Controversial guests
Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill
In a move that has come as a surprise to some, Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill has accepted an invitation to the Coronation.
Marking a step away from the party’s strict republican values, Ms O’Neill, who attended the Queen’s funeral in September, said she had accepted the invitation on behalf of the people in Northern Ireland “for whom the Coronation is a hugely important occasion”.
She said, “We are living in a time of great change. I am an Irish Republican. I also recognise there are many people on our island for whom the Coronation is a hugely important occasion. I am committed to being a first minister for all, representing the whole community, building good relations between the people of these islands, and advancing peace and reconciliation through respectful and mature engagement.”
But her attendance has been branded “hypocritical” by some Unionists, who said they were being prevented from celebrating by nationalist-controlled councils in Ulster.
Former Labour minister Baroness Hoey said: “My issue with it is that in a lot of the nationalist Sinn Fein-controlled councils in Northern Ireland, they have refused any kind of support for the Coronation, any celebrations, street parties, any of that in their areas. So it seems a little hypocritical that she is going off to wine and dine, colloquially speaking.”
Chinese vice-president Han Zheng
Objections have also been raised at the inclusion of Chinese vice-president Han Zheng.
Mr Han led Hong Kong affairs on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party between 2018 and March this year, during which time it imposed a controversial national security law stifling opposition and criminalising dissent, which sparked widespread protests in the territory.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “This is the man responsible for trashing the international treaty, the Sino-British Accord, in the course of which the Hong Kong authorities have persecuted peaceful democracy campaigners. Having this man here, given his role, is outrageous.”
The prime minister’s official spokesperson told reporters: “The Foreign Office have an approach on how invites are decided. You will see a whole host and a wide array of world leaders.”
Which figures didn’t make the cut?
While Westminster Abbey will certainly be full of some of the most recognisable faces from across the globe, some familiar faces didn’t quite make the cut.
Vladimir Putin
The UK hasen’t sent out an invitation to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters.
King Charles referred to Russia’s war in Ukraine as a danger to the democratic principles of Europe during a speech in Germany’s Bundestag on March 30.
The leaders of Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan, and Venezuela have also not been invited, while senior diplomats from North Korea and Nicaragua received invitations to the ceremony.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, will not attend the ceremony, but is expected to be included in a private royal family celebration afterwards.
The Duchess of York said in an interview earlier this month that she understands why she was not invited, as “you can’t have it both ways.
“Being divorce… I don’t think you can have it both ways,” she told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
“You mustn’t sit on the fence,” she added. “You’re either in or out, don’t muck around... The great thing about this moment in time is the unity of family, and I think that Charles and Camilla are doing an exceptional job at unifying the family.”
She later told People, “I’m very supportive of the King and the Queen Consort, and I really am glad to do whatever it takes to support them on their road ahead.”
Earl Charles Spencer
The brother of the late Princess of Wales, Diana, has been snubbed.
The decision to not invite Prince William and Harry’s uncle has shocked the earl’s family, according to the Independent.
“Twenty-five years ago in Westminster Abbey, where the coronation will take place, Charles Spencer swore in his historic address at his sister’s funeral to always look after her sons. It was assumed that he would remain part of the inner royal circle.”
If Diana had remained married to Charles, the princes’ mother would have been crowned Queen Consort, a “bitter irony” for the boys.
The aristocratic Spencers have traditionally had strong links to the royal family, and Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, the former prime minister, was also a member of the famous family.
Lady Pamela Hicks
Another name that royal watchers have been shocked to not see on the guest list is that of Lady Pamela Hicks, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s bridesmaid, friend, and lady-in-waiting.
In a post on Instagram, her daughter, designer and former model India Hicks, revealed that Buckingham Palace had told her 94-year-old mother that she would not be invited to the Coronation due to their decision to slim down the guest list.
She said that the palace rang her mother to give her the news. “The King was sending his great love and apologies, he was offending many family and friends with the reduced list,” Ms Hicks said.
However, she said: “My mother was not offended at all. ‘How very, very sensible,’ she said. Invitations based on meritocracy not aristocracy.”
Lady Pamela is the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was an uncle and father figure to Prince Philip. Her father was murdered by the IRA in 1979, and King Charles referred to him as “the grandfather I never had” when visiting Ireland 25 years later.
