The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla is taking place today.
The historic occasion, which is Britain’s first coronation since that of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, will see 2,000 guests gathering in Westminster Abbey to watch Charles and Camilla be crowned and anointed.
Each minute of the day has been planned carefully, from the arrivals of foreign royals, dignitaries and other guests, to the moment Charles steps out of the Abbey as the new monarch.
Crowds of people eager to catch a glimpse of the grand procession that will see the King and Queen Consort returning to Buckingham Palace have been growing steadily throughout the morning, despite the threat of heavy rain.
As the day progresses, here is a breakdown of what will take place during the ceremony and beyond:
Saturday 6 May
6am: Viewing areas along the procession route opened for members of the public who wish to view the spectacle.
7.15am-8.30am: Guests of the ceremony begin to arrive at security checkpoints in Victoria Tower Gardens before heading to Westminster Abbey.
9am: General congregation to be seated inside the Abbey as pre-coronation music begins.
9.30am-9.55am: Heads of states and overseas government representatives arrive at the Abbey.
10am: King Charles III’s escort to be in position at Buckingham Palace. Procession of faith leaders and ecumenical leaders through Westminster Abbey begins.
10.15am: Procession of Commonwealth realms through the Abbey.
10.20am: The King and Queen Consort leave Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach in the King’s procession.
10.25am: Members of foreign royal families arrive at the Great West Door of the Abbey.
10.35am: Members of the royal family arrive at the Great West Door.
10.45am: The Prince and Princess of Wales and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis arrive at the West Gate of the Abbey.
10.50am: The equerry and pages of honour to the King, equerry and pages of honour and companions to the Queen Consort arrive at the West Gate to await the arrival of their arrival.
10.53am: The King and Queen Consort arrive at the West Gate of the Abbey. The state trumpeters of the Household Cavalry, stationed in the Abbey, sound a fanfare. The King’s procession, led by the Cross of Wales, begins.
10.54am: The Abbey bells are rung.
11am: The coronation service begins.
Following the procession, the greeting of the King will take place with chorister 14-year-old Samuel Strachan. King Chalres will have a moment of silent prayer, followed by the Archbishop of Canterbury giving an introduction.
During the recognition, the King wills tand in the coronation theate and present himself to the people at each of the four directions: east, south, west and north.
He will be presented with the coronation bible and take the oath, then pray out loud with the King’s Prayer.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will read the Epistle and the Archbishop will deliver his sermon.
This is followed by the sacred anointing of the King, which will be shielded from public view. Charles will take off his crimson robe of state and wear a simple white shirt for the private anointing, which takes place behind a screen.
He is then presented with the golden spurs, which symbolise knighthood and chivalry, the jewelled sword of offering and the armills, the bracelets of sincerity and wisdom. He will put on the stole royal, a long, narrow embroidered band of gold silk which goes around the shoulders.
Prince William will step forward to help dress his father in the golden broaded cloak, the imperial mantle.
The King will hold the sovereign’s orb, before it is returned to the altar, and touches the sovereign’s ring, puts on the single white coronation glove to hold the soceriegn’s sceptre with cross in his right hand, with sovereign’s sceptre with dove in his left. He is now ready to be crowned.
12pm: The crowning of King Charles III takes place.
A fanfare will sound and the Abbey bells will ring for two minutes, while a gun salute is fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery stationed at Horse Guards Parade. Gun salutes at the Tower of London are fired by the Honourable Artillery Company, and at all saluting stations throughout the UK, Gibraltar, Bermuda and ships at sea.
After a blessing, the King is enthroned in his throne chair. The Archbishop pays homage, followed by the Prince of Wales’s homage of royal blood, and then the new Homage of the People takes place.
Following this, the anointing and crowning of Queen Consort Camilla will take place. She will be anointed in full public view, before touching the Queen Consort’s ring and being crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown.
She will touch the Queen Consort’s sceptre with cross and the ivory Queen Consort’s rod with dove, before being enthroned in her throne chair.
The Lord’s Prayer will be recited and the King and Queen Consort will take holy communion. They will change into their purple robes of estate in St Edward’s Chapel behind the altar and Charles puts on the Imperial State Crown.
The national anthem will be sung and the King’s outward procession begins. The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children will be part of the procession, which will make its way to the Great West Door, where the King receives a greeting by leaders and representatives from different faith communities.
1pm: The grand procession departs the Abbey. King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will ride in the Gold State Coach, while William and Kate will be in the next carriage as the Abbey bells ring.
1.45pm: The King and Queen Consort will appear ont he West Terrace at Buckingham Palace for a royal salute with the UK and Commonwealth armed forces.
2.30pm: The royal family will watch the flypast from the palace balcony.
Sunday 7 May
A day of street parties and coronation Big Lunches is encouraged up and down the country ahead of a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle.
Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville will host the show, which will feature Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
The line-up will also include Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench.
The event in the grounds of the castle, which is expected to begin at 2000 local time [1400 CT, 1500 ET], will be watched by a crowd of 20,000 members of the public and invited guests and broadcast across BBC television and radio stations.
Monday 8 May
Monday will be a special bank holiday for those in the UK and has been set aside for volunteering in a tribute to the King’s lifetime of public service.
Buckingham Palace said the day “will encourage people to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas”.
The aim of The Big Help Out is to use volunteering to bring communities together and create a lasting volunteering legacy from the coronation weekend.
More than 1,500 charities are involved in The Big Help Out and the minister for ceremonial events, including the coronation, Stuart Andrew, said it will “shine a spotlight on the power of volunteering to help our communities”.
He added: “It is a tribute to His Majesty the King’s lifetime of public service and a wonderful way to begin this new age.”
