It has been 70 years since Australia has seen the coronation of a monarch, meaning the vast majority of Canberrans will have never have witnessed one.
And never have we had the opportunity to view the ceremony live from Australia.
While there aren't a whole lot of public events, there is enough going on for monarchists and royal enthusiasts to enjoy.
Canberrans can even watch the coronation from the Governor-General's official residence, if they can get in early enough.
On the way, check out the 20 monuments (and light rail stops), which will be shining royal purple.
Otherwise, cook up a coronation quiche or trifle and turn up Spotify's official coronation playlist, and settle in for a late night of pomp and pagaentry from home.
When will it happen?
- Saturday, May 6 7pm to 10.30pm AEST
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's coronation procession will start at 7.20pm AEST on Saturday, May 6.
The King and Queen Consort will set off from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in a Diamond Jubilee State Coach, arriving before 8pm.
The coronation ceremony will proceed inside the abbey at about 8pm and take two hours.
At 10pm, the newly anointed King and Queen Consort will proceed back to Buckingham Palace, the same way they came.
They will wave from the Buckingham Palace balcony at 10.30pm.
Where can I watch it?
- At home
- At the Governor-General's house
Presuming you are not heading off to London for the weekend, you can enjoy the coronation from the comfort of your own home.
There are a plethora of both free-to-air and streaming options to watch the proceedings.
The ABC, Channel 7, Channel 9 and Channel 10 will have live coverage.
Foxtel and Foxtel Now will have the BBC's coverage. BINGE and BritBox will also stream the event.
Perhaps the most exciting place to watch the coronation though, is at Government House. Seats are free but limited, so guests must register.
Gates will open at 7.30pm, and screening will begin at 8pm.
Guests will be able watch the Coronation from the drawing and dining rooms of the Governor-General's official residence.
The Durham, in Kingston, will also be screening the coronation from 7pm, so head down to enjoy some traditional English pub grub and a pint (or two) while watching the ceremony.
What else is happening?
- Gun salute
- Canberra monuments lit up in purple
Gun salute
On Sunday, May 7, Australia's Federation Guard will fire a national 21-gun salute from the Parliament House forecourt.
It will take place at 3pm, and is open to the public.
The government advises people arrive early - well before 2.45pm - to allow time for parking and to account for road closures.
There will be intermittent road closures in place on Federation Mall, Kings Avenue and Parliament Drive from 2.45 pm to 3.30 pm.
Access to the forecourt basement car park will close between about 2.45pm and 3.30pm. The Senate, Ministerial and House of Representative car parks will remain open, but are not accessible by the public.
Flyover
After the gun salute on Saturday, there will be a low-level flyover over the Australian War Memorial following a route along Anzac Avenue to the Parliament House forecourt.
There will be one or two F/A-18F Super Hornet II's and one E/A-18G Growler aircraft from Number 1 Squadron; and one or two heritage aircrafts from Number 100 Squadron flying at about 3.06pm.
Illumination
Twenty Canberra monuments will light up purple over Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7. This includes Australian Parliament House and Telstra Tower.
Even light rail stops will be lit up.
The tradition of royal purple illuminations began with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.
Royal purple is otherwise known as Pantone colour 3515C.
Monuments being lit up purple
- Australian Parliament House
- Australian War Memorial
- Captain Cook Memorial Jet
- Government House
- High Court of Australia
- John Gorton Building
- Light Rail Stops
- Malcolm Fraser Bridge
- Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
- National Archives of Australia
- National Carillon
- National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
- National Gallery of Australia
- National Library of Australia
- National Museum of Australia
- National Portrait Gallery
- Royal Australian Mint
- Russell Offices
- Telstra Tower
- Treasury Building
- Questacon
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