King Charles coronation: Timings, schedule and key events
Three days of ceremonies, parties and a concert to mark the historic day
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter
The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla took place on Saturday, May 6.
The historic occasion, which was Britain’s first coronation since that of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, saw 2,000 guests gather in Westminster Abbey to watch Charles and Camilla be crowned and anointed.
Each minute of the day was planned carefully, from the arrivals of foreign royals, dignitaries and other guests, to the moment Charles stepped 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 grew steadily throughout the morning, despite the threat of heavy rain.
Here is a breakdown of what took place during the ceremony and what’s happening beyond:
Saturday 6 May - a minute-by-minute guide
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 were held up and down the country ahead of the star-studded concert at Windsor Castle.
Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville hosted the show, which featured Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
The line-up also included Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer Paloma Faith, and classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench.
The event in the grounds of the castle, which began just after 8pm GMT [1400 CT, 1500 ET], was also 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 is 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.”
Which members of the Royal Family will make appearances at The Big Help Out?
Fresh from their appearance at the coronation concert, the Prince and the Princess of Wales will be at a Scout hut in Berkshire, while Princess Anne is at an event in Gloucestershire.
Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh will help train puppies at a guide dog centre, while the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will meet volunteers at a London street party.
Politicians from the main parties are also getting involved.
The prime minister and his wife are helping at a lunch club, Labour leader Keir Starmer is answering calls for the NHS volunteer responders programme, and Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf is at a community larder.
Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen will not be taking part but are “wholly supportive” of the volunteering event.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.