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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Josh Luckhurst

First glimpse of historic King Charles Coronation as midnight rehearsal held in London

Royal fanatics have been treated to a first glimpse of the coronation as rehearsals take place down the Mall.

Soldiers dressed in bright yellow and red military uniforms paraded past Buckingham Palace towards Westminster Abbey just after 12.20am on Wednesday.

Crowds ran through St James’ Park to find the best spots along the Mall with many trying to spot their relatives in their military outfits.

A brass band in yellow uniforms on horseback started the parade after a recording of the national anthem.

Onlookers skipped along next to a band and ran after the regiments of mounted soldiers that followed.

(Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

At least 15 tents are already positioned along the mall and royal fans got to test out what view they will have of the King when a carriage was pulled along the Mall by white horses.

John Loughrey, 68, claimed to be the first person to set up his tent on the Mall on April 27, nine days before the Coronation.

He told the PA news agency: "We like the build up, the rehearsals and seeing people throughout the day.

"There are a lot of tourists and they come and say they wish they had something like this in their country."

Mr Loughrey explained he had been camping outside royal events for 26 years and spent a month camping out after Princess Charlotte was born.

(Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
(Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

He added: "We did a lot of research. We (picked this spot) because there are no trees so you can see the Red Arrows."

While the carriage and regiments of horses made their way past Downing Street, soldiers and military bands practiced protocols on the Mall.

Soldiers also lined the streets of Whitehall with many holding standards marching in Parliament Square and practised chanting position as Big Ben chimed.

Drumming could be heard across Westminster as different parts of the parade sprung into action.

The British economy is set to see a huge boost of over £8 billion over the upcoming Coronation bank holiday weekend.

It’s expected that people will be spending £3.22bn more than they do during a typical May bank holiday. Usually the British public spend £4.80bn on these weekends.

The event is expected to give a boost to the economy (PA)

The King Charles III Coronation Report from savings site VoucherCodes.co.uk, found factors towards the much-needed £8.01bn uplift include retail spend.

It is estimated consumers will spend an extra £1.76bn in shops - equivalent to £87 per person over the Coronation bank holiday weekend, as they prepare for celebrations and street parties.

The majority of this spend - £1.17bn - will be seen by supermarkets, convenience stores, and corner shops as shoppers stock up their fridges.

Meanwhile, Coronation decorations, souvenirs and memorabilia also set to sell in droves as the nation prepares for the celebrations.

With 2.3 million people expected to descend on the capital and another 125,000 visitors coming from abroad to watch the Coronation procession, Britain’s tourism sector is also set for an increase of £250 million, or £60 per traveller, as they splurge on travel and accommodation for the weekend.

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