The Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla is just weeks away with organisers entering the final planning stage of the historic event.
The ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6 will be filled with royal tradition, pomp and pageantry, with both Charles and Camilla wearing priceless crowns covered in jewels worth millions of pounds.
The royal family is releasing regular updates on the plans as the event edges closer, with the nation set to celebrate with an extra bank holiday weekend.
Here we take a look at everything we know about King Charles' Coronation so far...
Coronation date and venue
It has been confirmed that the Coronation will take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey with the service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Abbey has witnessed 38 coronations dating back to William the Conqueror on December 25, 1066.
Unusually, the ceremony will take place on a weekend with May 6 falling on a Saturday. Coronations have not traditionally been held on a weekend, with the late Queen’s taking place on a Tuesday.
May 6 is also the birthday of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie – Charles' grandson – who will be turning four on the day.
Buckingham Palace is yet to confirm the timings of the Coronation, however, it is believed that it will begin at around 11am.
Events from the today will be broadcast live on the BBC, with the presenting team including Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young, Sophie Raworth, Clare Balding, Anita Rani and JJ Chalmers.
Is there a bank holiday
As the Coronation itself falls on a weekend day, the majority of Brits will already be off work.
However there will be an extra Bank Holiday on the Monday (May 8) to make it a bumper celebration weekend.
People are being encouraged to use that extra time out of the office to take part in The Big Help Out. The King is asking people to help out in their local community through volunteering work. For more information and to organise an event, click here.
What will happen during the Coronation?
Charles will be anointed with holy oil, receive the orb, coronation ring and sceptre, be crowned and blessed during the historic ceremony.
He will be anointed by the Archbishop and take his oath to "maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine worship, discipline, and government thereof, as the law established in England".
Camilla will also be anointed with holy oil and crowned, just like the Queen Mother was when she was crowned Queen alongside George VI in 1937.
The Chrism oil with which The King and The Queen Consort will be anointed, which was consecrated in The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in March, will be contained within the Ampulla, made from gold and cast in the form of an eagle with outspread wings.
The silver-gilt Coronation Spoon is the oldest object in use at Coronations, having been first recorded in 1349 among St Edward’s Regalia in Westminster Abbey, and is the only piece of Royal goldsmiths’ work to survive from the twelfth century.
However, the Mirror has revealed that the King has banned television cameras from filming the moment he is anointed with holy oil.
Charles’s decision to abandon plans to have a see-through canopy specially made has dashed speculation he would become the first monarch in history to be publicly anointed.
Royal sources with knowledge of the Coronation planning and procedures revealed the King decided he "must respect his relationship with God".
Charles has instructed organisers to follow the tradition of previous monarchs for the moment when the Archbishop of Canterbury pours holy oil from the ampulla onto the Coronation Spoon, anointing the sovereign on the hands, breast and head.
Sources have revealed how the King and Queen Consort have been diligently practising their roles in a "mock-up Abbey", specially built inside Buckingham Palace.
During a fitting for his elaborate robes Charles is understood to have commented on how heavy they were, leading aides to privately express "real fears" that he could stumble on a walk up to the Chairs of State, where Charles and Camilla sit in the centre of Westminster Abbey after being crowned.
In recent days master craftsmen have been drafted in to build a ramp up to the two Throne Chairs so the King does not struggle getting to his seat.
Who will have a role in the ceremony?
One of the royals confirmed to have a central role in the Coronation is the King's eldest grandchild Prince George.
He has been handed a role of Page of Honour and the nine-year-old future king will walk behind his grandad, helping to carry his robes as he enters and leaves Westminster Abbey.
George and seven other boys named Pages of Honour will 'attend their majesties', the King and Queen, during the service.
They are primarily responsible for carrying their long, heavy robes. The honour is usually granted to teenage sons of members of the nobility and gentry, and especially to senior Royal Household members.
The King’s other Pages of Honour will be Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, Nicholas Barclay, 13, and Ralph Tollemache, 12.
The Queen Consort's Pages of Honour will be her grandsons, twins Gus and Louis Lopes, and Freddy Parker Bowles, along with great-nephew, Arthur Elliot.
In coronations in the past, royal dukes would kneel before the sovereign to pay homage to them. Traditionally they would also touch the crown and kiss the monarch's right cheek.
However, the Sunday Times has previously reported that at Charles' Coronation, the only royal that will pay homage to him will be heir to the throne and Prince of Wales, Prince William.
A source told the paper: "Prince Harry has been written out of the script for the Coronation, with no official role in the service if he attends.
"Breaking with tradition, Charles will scrap royal dukes kneeling and paying homage to the monarch. Only William will perform that role. As things stand, there is no role for Harry in the service."
What crowns and regalia will we see?
King Charles will be crowned in the St Edward’s Crown and leave the Abbey wearing the Imperial State Crown.
The crown was made for King Charles II in 1661, as a replacement for the medieval crown which had been melted down in 1649.
Camilla is to be crowned in Queen Mary's crown which has been altered to include some of the late Queen's jewels, such as the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds which were part of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection for many years.
The priceless array of coronation regalia from the Crown Jewels which will be used during the religious service in the Abbey has also been confirmed.
It will include the Sovereign's Orb, the Golden Spurs, bracelets known as Armills, two maces, five symbolic swords, the Sovereign's Ring, the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove.
The Queen Consort will use an ivory sceptre during the King’s coronation following speculation it might be dropped from the ceremony.
The Queen Consort's Ring, a ruby in a gold setting, was made for the Coronation of King William IV and Queen Adelaide in 1831, and has been used by three further Queens Consort; Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Meanwhile, there is no doubt that other royals, including the likes of the Princess of Wales and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, will want to look their best on Coronation day.
But the senior female royals are only now rushing to finalise fittings for their Coronation outfits after a row over tiaras.
I ssues have emerged around the planning for the big event, including whether the royal women will wear tiaras into the church before the Queen Consort enters the Abbey.
One source claimed that indecision between the households had also led to rows over what tiaras the female royals should wear.
They added: "Senior female royals were only informed of outfits this week prompting a rush to finalise fitting arrangements."
What is the carriage procession route?
The King's Coronation procession stretches to just 1.3 miles - around a quarter of the length of the late Queen's five-mile celebratory journey.
A newly crowned Charles and Queen Consort will make their way back from Westminster Abbey via the tried and tested route of Parliament Square, along Whitehall, around Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch and down The Mall back to Buckingham Palace.
The procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace - the Coronation Procession - will be much larger in scale, taking the same route in reverse.
The Coronation Procession will include Armed Forces from across the Commonwealth and the British Overseas Territories, and all Services of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, alongside The Sovereign's Bodyguard and Royal Watermen.
Charles and Camilla will travel from Buckingham Palace in The King's Procession to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, created for Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Her late Majesty's reign in 2012.
They will return in the 260 year old Gold State coach, used at every Coronation since that of William IV in 1831. The coach will be drawn by eight Windsor Greys and, due to its weight of four tonnes, will travel at walking pace.
Who will be attending the Coronation?
For the late Queen's coronation in 1953, around 8,000 people packed into Westminster Abbey for the ceremony. However, it is expected that the Abbey will stay at its usual capacity of 2,000 for Charles' big day.
And w ith the Coronation set to be one of the biggest royal events for 70 years, it is expected nearly all members of the Royal Family will be there to witness it.
However, it has been reported that one person not to score an invitation is Fergie, the King's former sister-in-law, who used to be married to Prince Andrew.
Members of foreign monarchies have begun to confirm their attendance with among those attending including King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his daughter Crown Princess Victoria, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco and Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan.
It is likely that some politicians and peers will be landing invitations to the Coronation - but not all.
With space in the Abbey at a premium, not all will be able to attend - with The Telegraph reporting just 20 MPs and 20 peers are expected to be invited.
Also there will be current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former living PMs - Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Major.
Foreign heads of state have also begun to confirm their attendance but US president Joe Biden will not be attending - and instead will be represented by his wife and US First Lady Jill Biden.
Meanwhile, more than 850 community and charity representatives from across the UK have been invited.
Invitations to the May 6 service at Westminster Abbey in central London have been extended to more than 450 British Empire Medal (BEM) recipients in recognition of their contributions.
Some 400 young people representing charities will also be able to watch the Coronation service and procession from the adjacent St Margaret’s Church. The youngsters were nominated by the King and Queen Consort and the UK Government.
What is happening with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?
After months of speculation, it has finally been confirmed that Prince Harry will be attending his father's Coronation - but his wife Meghan Markle will not.
Buckingham Palace said it was 'pleased' to announce that Harry will be there on May 6 for the historic event. Meghan, however, will stay in California with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Harry, who laid bare his troubled relationship with the royal family in his controversial Netflix documentary and autobiography Spare, will be alongside other family members including his estranged brother Prince William and wife Kate for the first time since the release of the series and book.
The announcement now ends months of speculation about whether or not the couple would be at the Coronation.
It is said Archie's fourth birthday - which falls on the same day - has played a factor in the decision for Meghan to remain at home with her children - and it is expected Harry will make a whistle stop trip to the UK for the big event.
One royal source with knowledge of the Coronation plans said the King was "likely to be delighted" that Harry would attend.
The insider said: "The King has previously spoken of loving both his sons and that remains the case.
"Harry would have deeply regretted not attending the ceremony.
"Archie's birthday has provided the perfect excuse for Meghan to stay behind and, with all things considered, it's probably the right thing to do."
Who is paying for the Coronation?
King Charles' Coronation is rumoured to be costing somewhere in the region of £100million, although this is unconfirmed.
As it's a state event, the UK government will be paying for it, which essentially means it's being paid for by the taxpayer.
Because the event is publicly funded, King Charles is believed to be "mindful" about making sure there's "value" in the event for the people who are paying for it.
