When is King Charles' coronation and the extra bank holiday date?
When is King Charles III Coronation, what happens during the ceremony, will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle be there, and when is the extra bank holiday? Q&A on historic day for UK
- Charles became monarch after the Queen’s death but will be crowned in May
- Crowning of the King inside Westminster Abbey is set to be a historic occasion
- The coronation will take place on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey
King Charles has been Britain’s monarch since early September, when his beloved mother the Queen passed away at Balmoral.
Whilst he became King immediately on the death of Her Majesty, Charles’s coronation will not be until May.
The crowning of the King inside Westminster Abbey is set to be a historic occasion featuring regalia and highly symbolic ceremonies that have not been seen for 70 years.
But what will the coronation mean, when exactly is it, and will Prince Harry and Meghan be there? Below, we answer all these questions and more.
Charles’s coronation will not be until May. The crowning of the King inside Westminster Abbey is set to be a historic occasion featuring regalia and highly symbolic ceremonies that have not been seen for 70 years
The Coronation will take place on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey.
It will be a bank holiday weekend, allowing Britons to celebrate on Monday, May 8 as well.
The Queen’s Coronation took place nearly 70 years before, on June 2, 1953, but she actually became monarch in February the previous year, following the death of her father George VI.
What will actually happen at the Coronation?
Charles will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort.
The occasion is expected to be a smaller affair than the late Queen’s ceremony.
A Buckingham Palace statement said in October: ‘The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.’
It added: ‘The coronation is a solemn religious service, together with an occasion for celebration and pageantry.
‘The ceremony has retained a similar structure for over a thousand years, and this year’s coronation is expected to include the same core elements while recognising the spirit of our times.
Charles will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort. The occasion is expected to be a smaller affair than the late Queen’s ceremony. Above: The Archbishop of Canterbury holds the ritual crown of England, the crown of St. Edward, over the head of Queen Elizabeth II, prior to the actual crowning at the coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London, June 2, 1953
‘For the last 900 years, the ceremony has taken place at Westminster Abbey, London. Since 1066, the service has almost always been conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.’
In contrast to the Queen’s Coronation, the Mail on Sunday previously revealed that the service will last for just over an hour, rather than more than three.
The guest list may also be slashed from 8,000 to 2,000 and discussions have been held about having a more relaxed dress code.
The King is also set to ditch the various outfit changes that his mother had to make.
Whilst some lengthy traditions that featured in 1953 are set to be axed, the highly sacred moment of the anointing of the monarch will be retained.
A canopy of golden cloth will be held over Charles’ head during the anointing, so that no one else can see.
Charles will swear to be the ‘defender of the faith’, not ‘defender of faith’ – a change that was previously speculated.
The King will wit in the Coronation Chair, which dates from the start of the 14th Century.
After being anointed, Charles will have the crown of St Edward placed on his head, officially crowning him as King Charles III.
The 1762 Gold State Coach, which was refurbished at great expense for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, will also be part of the Coronation procession.
Prince William will also take on new titles at the Coronation, including being formally named as the Prince of Wales.
Will the Coronation be on television?
No details have been released yet about what plans broadcasters have for the service, but it is expected to be televised.
The Queen’s Coronation was shown on TV and sparked an explosion in ownership of televisions around Britain.
Around 27million people watched the ceremony, with a further 11 million listening on the radio.
No details have been released yet about what plans broadcasters have for the service, but it is expected to be televised. Above: The Queen’s Coronation in 1953 was watched by nearly 30million people on TV
What Crown will the king wear?
King Charles will wear St Edward’s Crown, which was made in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II.
It is made of solid gold and features more than 400 gemstones, including six sapphires, and 12 rubies. It weighs nearly 5lbs (2.23kg).
St Edward’s Crown is a replacement for the original that was among the Crown Jewels that were melted down and sold off when the monarchy was abolished in 1649.
King Charles will wear St Edward’s Crown, which was made in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II
Will Camilla be crowned as Queen?
The Duchess of Cornwall will be crowned Queen alongside the King in Westminster Abbey.
She will formally take the title of Queen Consort and will have the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother placed on her head.
The crown was made for the coronation of King George VI, when the Queen Mother was crowned alongside her husband.
The Duchess of Cornwall will be crowned Queen alongside the King in Westminster Abbey. Above: Camilla at the State Opening of Parliament in 2016
What will happen after the Coronation and will there be street parties?
After the service Westminster Abbey, the King may head to Buckingham Palace to stand on the balcony with senior members of his family.
The Bank Holiday weekend means that most Britons will be able to celebrate the crowning of the King for two further days until they go back to work on Tuesday.
No plans have yet been announced for street parties but there could be similar scenes to 1953, which saw thousands of celebrations take place around the country.
After the service Westminster Abbey, the King may head to Buckingham Palace to stand on the balcony with senior members of his family. Above: Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the Queen in June last year during Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations
No plans have yet been announced for street parties but there could be similar scenes to 1953, which saw thousands of celebrations take place around the country
Will Harry and Meghan be at the Coronation?
In his interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, the Duke of Sussex insisted that a ‘lot can happen’ between now and May when he was asked if he will go to his father’s coronation.
However, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle will reportedly not be welcome at the occasion, following the criticism levelled at his family.
A source told The Sun: ‘There have been discussions among the family, including Edward and Anne.
‘They do not want private conversations at the coronation making it into the paperback edition of Spare.’
Another source said: ‘The family expects Harry and Meghan to find a reason not to be there’.
Prince Harry will reportedly not be welcome at the Coronation. Above: Harry with his wife Meghan after attending the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 03, 2022
Will Prince Andrew be at the Coronation?
The Palace has not yet revealed who will be going to the King’s coronation, including which members of the Royal Family will be there.
The brother of the monarch would ordinarily have been expected to be among the attendees at Westminster Abbey.
But Prince Andrew is no longer a working royal following the scandal surrounding his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his settlement with sex accuser Virginia Roberts.
However, he did make an unexpected appearance at the Royal Family’s annual Christmas Day walkabout, which was seen by some as an olive branch to the disgraced Duke of York.
Prince Andrew is no longer a working royal following the scandal surrounding his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his settlement with sex accuser Virginia Roberts. However, he did make an unexpected appearance at the Royal Family’s annual Christmas Day walkabout (above), which was seen by some as an olive branch to the disgraced Duke of York
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