Coronation – live: King Charles’s portrait unveiled as Prince Louis pictured at first royal engagement
Today has been set aside for volunteering in a tribute to the King’s lifetime of public service
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The first official portrait of King Charles following his coronation has been unveiled.
Buckingham Palace tweeted the photo, in which the monarch poses with his crown and sceptre, after three days of celebrations to mark the event drew to a close.
It came after a number of royals took part in The Big Help Out on Bank Holiday Monday, a day of volunteering aimed at bringing communities together and creating a lasting volunteering legacy from the coronation weekend.
Prince Louis attended his first official royal engagement, joining his family as they helped renovate a Scout Hut near to their Windsor home.
Last night, his father Prince William made a poignant speech in honour of his father Charles at a glittering coronation concert held at Windsor Castle.
The newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla joined around 20,000 members of the public at the concert in Windsor where, along with other family members, they enjoyed performances by Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
Watch | Prince William cracks dad joke during coronation concert speech
Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty surprise volunteers at lunch club
Diners at a local lunch club in Hertfordshire have said they feel “really fortunate” after a surprise visit by the prime minister as part of the Big Help Out.
Local residents, most of them elderly, were served lamb casserole and wine by “very special guests” Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, in the dining room of Mill End Community Centre in Rickmansworth.
The Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) runs a lunch club at the centre from Monday to Friday, predominantly for people in the community who are removed from family networks.
Mr Sunak and Ms Murty chopped parsnips and strawberries in the kitchen in black aprons before joining the room in a toast which ended in the group saying “long live the King” and giving three cheers.
The local councils that spent the most money on the King’s Coronation
Local councils across the UK are set to spend more than £3.8 million of their own money on coronation events with research suggesting that some spent tens of thousands of pounds on events over the bank holiday weekend.
The findings from openDemocracy come amid the cost-of-living crisis, which has seen councils warned that they will need to find an extra £2.4bn this year to cover energy price rises and inflationary cost pressures.
My colleague Martha McHardy takes a look at the Bank Holiday’s biggest spenders:
How much did my council spend on the coronation?
The coronation is set to cost tax payers between £50million and £150million
Fans thank Princess Eugenie for including photos of Prince Harry in her coronation round-up
Princess Eugenie has been praised for including photographs of the Duke of Sussex attending the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in her social media post about the big day.
Eugenie, the younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, was at the coronation on Saturday (6 May) with her husband, Jack Brooksbank.
The heavily pregnant princess was also seen entering Westminster Abbey with her cousin Prince Harry, who attended his father’s crowning without his wife, Meghan Markle.
Kate Ng reports:
Fans thank Eugenie for including photos of Harry in her coronation round-up
The Duke of Sussex came to the UK for a brief trip over the weekend to attend his father’s coronation
Ed Sheeran reveals he never ‘turned down’ performing at the King’s coronation concert
Ed Sheeran has insisted he never ‘turned down’ performing at the coronation concert - but simply wasn’t asked.
Media reports over the last few weeks suggested the singer had snubbed the royal affair, but appeared on SiriusXM over the bank holiday weekend to clear things up.
“I assume if they went online and went ‘what’s Ed doing on May 6’ they would go ‘oh he’s playing in Dallas’ so I think that’s what’s happened”, he said.
“I never ever turned it down. I wasn’t asked but yeah, I am excited to tune into that. Historic, isn’t it?”
Sophie Thompson has more:
Ed Sheeran reveals he never ‘turned down’ performing at the King’s coronation concert
Ed Sheeran has insisted he never ‘turned down’ performing at the coronation concert - but simply wasn’t asked. Media reports over the last few weeks suggested the singer had snubbed the royal affair, but appeared on SiriusXM over the bank holiday weekend to clear things up. “I assume if they went online and went ‘what’s Ed doing on May 6’ they would go ‘oh he’s playing in Dallas’ so I think that’s what’s happened”, he said. “I never ever turned it down. I wasn’t asked but yeah, I am excited to tune into that. Historic, isn’t it?” Click here to sign up for our newsletters.
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