King Charles III’s coronation – the first of a British king since 1937 – is the religious confirmation of his accession after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, last September.
The coronation will be attended by just 2,000 people – a fraction of the more than 8,000 guests who crammed into Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II’s crowning in 1953. Camilla will be crowned separately in a similar but simpler ceremony.
Charles III and wife Camilla will travel to the abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, drawn by six Windsor Grey horses, and escorted by members of the king’s bodyguard, the Household Cavalry.
He will become the oldest British monarch to have the 360-year-old St Edward’s Crown placed on his head as he sits upon a 14th century throne at London’s Westminster Abbey.
It is a Christian service but there will be an “unprecedented” greeting from leaders of other faiths and Charles’s grandson Prince George and the grandchildren of Camilla will act as pages.
Rishi Sunak, the Britain’s Prime Minister and a practising Hindu will also make history by giving a reading from the Bible as the head of the UK government.
The event will be on a smaller scale than that staged for Queen Elizabeth in 1953, but will still aim to be spectacular, featuring an array of historical regalia from golden orbs and bejewelled swords to a sceptre holding the world’s largest colourless cut diamond.
Princes Harry and Andrew will both attend the coronation of King Charles III, bu
