Preparations are well underway for King Charles III's coronation. Alongside wife Camilla, he will officially be crowned monarch on Saturday May 6.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will carry out the historical Westminster Abbey ceremony, as Charles becomes the nation's oldest king to be crowned at the age of 73. The coronation is Britain's first in seven decades, since Queen Elizabeth II's crowning in 1953.
A full programme of events have been planned for the bumper weekend, which includes a bank holiday Monday on May 8. Proceedings will begin with the Coronation on the Saturday, while Coronation Big Lunches and a special gig at Windsor Castle are scheduled for Sunday.
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On the Monday, people are encouraged to help out and volunteer in their local communities.
Here is a run-down of everything happening on Saturday, May 6 - from when the Coronation procession begins, to when the royals are expected to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
6am – Viewing areas open along the procession route. Thousands of spectators are expected to line up along the route to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen as they make their way through central London.
7.15 to 8.30am – Guests for Westminster Abbey begin to arrive at security check points in Victoria Tower Gardens.
More than 850 community and charity representatives from across the UK have been invited to the King’s coronation. Invitations to the service itself have been extended to more than 450 British Empire Medal recipients in recognition of their contributions.
9am – Congregation to be seated inside the Abbey.
9.30 to 10.45am – Heads of state, overseas government representatives, Government ministers, First Ministers, former PMs, foreign royals and members of the royal family will arrive.
Almost the entire UK royal family will attend the ceremony, but it has been confirmed that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will not travel from the US to attend the ceremony. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and all his living predecessors are also expected to be there alongside Cabinet ministers and leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer.
US president Joe Biden will not be attending the service but First Lady Jill Biden will instead represent the US. French president Emmanuel Macron announced earlier this month that he will be there to show his “friendship, respect and esteem” for the UK, while Germany and Italy will send their ceremonial presidents Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella, rather than heads of government Olaf Scholz and Giorgia Meloni.
9.45am – The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry begin to gather ready for the procession from Buckingham Palace.
10.20am – The King and Queen Consort’s procession sets off from the Palace.
The outward procession, called the King’s Procession, is smaller in scale than the Coronation Procession, which takes place following the ceremony, but it will use the same route.
Charles and Camilla will travel in the modern Diamond Jubilee Coach, which has air con and shock absorbers. The procession will feature around 200 members from The Sovereign’s Escort of The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment accompanying the monarch and his consort, as well as troops from the three services lining the route.
10.53am – The King and Queen Consort arrive at Westminster Abbey.
11am – Charles and Camilla enter the Abbey through the Great West Door and the service begins.
12pm – The King is crowned. The Archbishop of Canterbury places the St Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head. Trumpets will sound and gun salutes will be fired across the UK.
1pm – The service ends and the newly crowned King and Queen begin their coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach. Other members of the royal family are expected to join them on the journey.
Some 4,000 sailors, soldiers, aviators and other military personnel from across the UK and the Commonwealth will accompany Charles and Camilla on their return Coronation Procession. Flanking the roads will be more than 1,000 route liners from the British Army, RAF and Royal Navy.
1.33pm – Charles and Camilla are expected to enter Buckingham Palace through the Centre Arch.
1.45pm – The King and Queen Consort receive a royal salute from the military in the Palace gardens.
They will take the salute from the West Terrace and the servicemen and women will give three cheers as a special coronation tribute from the Armed Forces to the couple.
Around 2.15pm – The King, Queen Consort and members of the royal family appear on the Palace balcony to watch the flypast.
The palace has not said exactly which family members will appear on the balcony, but it is expected to be working members of the royal family only.
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