The coronation of King Charles III will take place at Westminster Abbey and will be broadcast live on TV. Here, we break down the coronation schedule - from the ceremony and the procession to other events across the weekend.
Preparations have been underway for months, and now it's almost time for the coronation. People up and down the UK and all over the world are getting ready to watch on TV and celebrate the event, with street parties full of the best buffet food and other exciting community events. The big day is Saturday 6 May, when the King will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey to be officially crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
However, the celebrations are lasting a whole weekend, with the government confirming an additional bank holiday for the historic event and various nation-wide celebrations taking place across the UK. There's a lot going on, so make sure you don't miss out on any of the celebrations by taking a look at our day-by-day coronation schedule.
King Charles' coronation schedule: What time does the coronation start?
The coronation takes place on Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey, with the service due to commence at 11am. However, the day's event will begin many hours beforehand, with public viewing areas open from as early as 6am and the procession to the Abbey commencing at 10.20am.
And it won't just be on the day of the coronation itself that celebrations are taking place, with street parties organised across the UK the following day too, and a nationwide volunteering initiative organised for the bank holiday Monday.
Saturday 6 May: Coronation day
6.00am: The viewing areas along the procession route will be opened to the public. Access to viewing areas along The Mall and Whitehall will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and once these are full people will be directed to official screening sites in Hyde Park, Green Park and St James's Park.
9.45am: The 200 members of the Armed Forces taking part in the procession will begin to gather, and a further 1000 service personnel will line the route. Meanwhile, coronation guests - including the royal family, heads of state and former prime ministers - will be arriving at Westminster Abbey.
10.20am: Charles and Camilla will begin the procession from Buckingham palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, drawn by six Windsor Greys. The coach was created for Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the 60th anniversary of her reign.
10.53am: The procession will arrive at Westminster Abbey, having travelled down The Mall and the south side of Trafalgar Square, along Whitehall and Parliament Street and then the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary.
11.00am: King Charles will enter Westminster Abbey through the Great West Door and process through the Nave of the Abbey, and the service will then commence. The King is expected to wear military uniform instead of the more traditional breeches and silk stockings.
12.00pm: The St. Edward's Crown will be placed on Charles's head by the Archbishop of Canterbury and he will officially be crowned as King. There will be gun salutes at the Tower of London, Horse Guards Parade and other locations across the country.
1.00pm: The procession back to Buckingham Palace will commence, this time in the Gold State Coach, used by the late Queen Elizabeth during her coronation in 1953. The coach was was commissioned in 1760 and was first used by King George III.
1.33pm: The newly crowned King and Queen will arrive back at Buckingham Palace via the Centre Arch.
1.45pm: Charles and Camilla will receive a military salute and three cheers in the Garden Terrace.
2.15pm: Charles and Camilla will appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace and there will be a flypast. Though it hasn't been confirmed who will be joining them on the balcony, it will likely include the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children.
King Charles coronation procession route
The procession route travels 1.3 miles from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Abbey and back, beginning at 10.20am and returning at 1.33pm.
King Charles and Camilla will depart Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach through the Centre Gate. They will proceed down The Mall, passing through Admiralty Arch and south of King Charles I Island before travelling down Whitehall, along Parliament Street and around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary, to arrive at the Westminster Abbey.
On returning from Westminster Abbey, the Gold State Coach will take the same route back but on a larger scale, and will include Armed Forces from across the Commonwealth and the British Overseas Territories and all Services of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, alongside King Charles' Bodyguard and Royal Watermen.
The late Queen Elizabeth II took a much longer route after her coronation in 1953, which was a five mile route through Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Pall Mall, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, and finally down the Mall to end at Buckingham Palace.
What will happen during the coronation ceremony?
The order of events for the coronation ceremony will include the Recognition, the Coronation Oath, the Anointing, the Investiture, and the Enthronement.
The recognition is where the sovereign stands in in the theatre – the central space in Westminster Abbey – and turns to show himself "unto the people" at each of the four directions – east, south, west and north. The Archbishop of Canterbury will then ask the congregation and choir to cry out "God save King Charles".
King Charles will then take the coronation oath, in which he will promise to reign according to law, exercise justice with mercy and maintain the Church of England. At the altar, he will say "The things which I have here before promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me God," before kissing the Bible and signing the oath.
He will then be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. King Charles will sit in King Edward's Chair - which has been used by every monarch since 1626 - and the Archbishop of Canterbury will pour holy oil from the Ampulla into the spoon, and anoints the sovereign on the hands, breast and head.
After this, the King will put on the Robe Royal of gold cloth and will be presented with the orb, the coronation ring on the fourth finger of his right hand, the sceptre and the rod. Still sitting in King Edward's Chair, he will then be crowned with St Edward’s Crown.
Once Charles has been crowned, he has requested for Greek Orthodox music by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble to be played during the service as a nod to his late father, Prince Philip, who was born in Greece and was a prince to both Greece and Denmark.
Following this ceremony, Camilla as Queen Consort will also be crowned, in a similar but simpler ceremony. Camilla will wear Queen Mary's crown and she will also be anointed and enthroned, though she will not have to take an oath.
2,000 people have been invited to the Westminster Abbey service, and it has been confirmed that Prince Harry will attend along with other members of the royal family, while Prince George will be a page of honour.
Sunday 7 May: Coronation concert
On Sunday 7 May the coronation concert will take place at Windsor Castle, beginning at 8pm. The coronation concert line up is made up of global icons, such as Take That, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Andrea Bocelli.
The event will be broadcast by the BBC and attended by a public audience including volunteers from The King and The Queen Consort’s many charity affiliations and those who applied for coronation concert tickets in the national ballot.
Alongside the stars of the concert, the show will also see an exclusive appearance from The Coronation Choir. The group is made up of the nation’s keenest community choirs and amateur singers, including Refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf signing choirs.
In addition, The Virtual Choir, made up of singers from across the Commonwealth, will appear for a special performance on the night.
During the concert, there will also be a special 'Lighting up the Nation' segment, which will see the country join together in celebration as iconic locations across the UK are lit up using projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations.
Monday 8 May: The Big Help Out
The Big Help Out is a nationwide volunteering initiative taking place on the bank holiday following the coronation and is organised by The Together Coalition and a wide range of partners such as The Scouts, the Royal Voluntary Service and faith groups.
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. Some companies, such as ASDA supermarkets, will be allowing staff to request a paid day off to participate in the Big Help Out.
Find out how to get involved by visiting thebighelpout.org.uk
Related features:
- Are Prince Harry and Meghan going to the coronation?
- How much could King Charles III's coronation cost and who will pay?
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