Buckingham Palace has announced the schedule for King Charles III’s coronation ceremony, and the events promise to be a “demonstration of the monarch’s commitment to the future while still embracing tradition,” according to the royal team.
The coronation, which will take place on the first weekend of May, between the 6th and 8th, will be a “bank holiday”, in which financial institutions go into recess and interrupt operations, due to commemorative dates.
The event, which promises to bring the city to a standstill, features a royal performance on the palace balcony, a show with international stars and a day of volunteer work.
The coronation of the king and queen consort will begin on the day , with the procession of the king leaving the palace, in which the monarchs will walk to Westminster Abbey, for a ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
After the service, they will return to Buckingham Palace in a larger ceremonial procession, known as “the coronation procession”, accompanied by other members of the royal family.
At the palace, Charles and Camilla will be joined by family members on the veranda to wrap up the day’s ceremonial events. Despite high expectations, it has not been announced exactly which family members will appear in the coronation procession or on the balcony.
After the controversy surrounding revelations in her memoir, it’s hard to say whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be in attendance. The Duke of Sussex declined to answer whether he would return to the UK for his father’s coronation or not.
On the following day (7), “global music icons and contemporary stars” will appear at Windsor Castle for the coronation concert, which will be broadcast live by the BBC. The show will feature an orchestra performing interpretations of famous and beloved musicals, led by “some of the world’s greatest artists, alongside renowned dancers”, the palace said.
In addition, musical attractions will feature the coronation choir, a diverse group made up of refugees, LGBTQIA+ and deaf choirs across the UK.
Audiences will be made up of thousands of British citizens, who will be selected to receive a free pair of tickets through a nationwide vote conducted by the BBC, and volunteers from the charities of the King and Queen Consort.
This audience will also have a “grand coronation lunch”, supervised and organized by the Big Lunch team at the Eden Project. Camilla has been a patron of Big Lunch since 2013.
But even those left out of the ticket selection shouldn’t be discouraged, as the palace has said thousands of events are set to take place in streets, gardens and parks in every corner of the UK.
Monday (8), defined as a bank holiday, is the closing day of the ceremonies, which was selected for volunteer work.
Organized by “The Together Coalition” and a wide range of partners such as The Scouts, Royal Voluntary Service and faith groups across the UK, this event aims to highlight the positive impact that volunteering has on communities.
The purpose of the day is to use volunteerism to bring communities together, encouraging people to help out in whatever areas possible. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said thousands of people were expected to visit London to watch the coronation.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said the coronation is “a huge milestone in the history of the UK and the Commonwealth”, adding that the weekend of events will bring people together to celebrate “the blend of tradition and modernity, culture and community that makes our country great.”
Preparations for the event, as with the Queen’s funeral in September, will be delicate from a diplomatic point of view, given the likely presence of leaders from dozens of different countries, but the responsible team and participants as a whole are willing to and animated.
*Intern at R7under the supervision of Fabiola Glenia
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