The British will be able to rest on Monday, May 8. The government announced on Sunday that this day will be a public holiday in the United Kingdom to mark the coronation of King Charles III, eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The holiday will be observed two days after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Downing Street said. “The coronation of a new monarch is a unique moment for our country,” said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, saying he hoped people would “pay tribute to King Charles III by participating in local and national events across the country. country “.
A similar decision in 1953
A public holiday had already been observed for the coronation of Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, as well as for her funeral on September 19.
Buckingham Palace had announced a ceremony “looking to the future, while being rooted in the long tradition and pomp of the monarchy”. According to the British press, the coronation will be, in accordance with Charles III’s wish for a tightened monarchy and in a context of economic crisis, shorter and less expensive than that of his mother. The latter had lasted more than three hours, in front of 8,251 guests massed in the Abbey.