Everything you need to know about King Charles III’s coronation
Heir to the throne Charles III will officially become King in an extravagant and historic ceremony on Saturday, May 6.
Thousands will gather at Westminster Abbey and the surrounding streets of central London to take in a display of British pageantry.
Preparations have been a long time coming, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at her rural Balmoral home in September.
In the days that followed, he was formally proclaimed Britain’s new monarch and now, after months of painstaking preparation, his coronation is almost upon us.
There’s a lot of speculation floating around about the big day, and some elements are still being organised, but here is what we can expect.
The coronation is a moment of public celebration of the new King.
The fabulously over-the-top spectacle will be attended by dignitaries from around the world and watched by billions on May 6.
The coronation is a symbolic coming together of the monarchy, church and state for a religious ritual during which the monarch makes vows to both God and country.
Buckingham Palace has said it “will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”.
What time is the King’s Coronation?
The coronation of King Charles III will be held inside Westminster Abbey at 11am (London time) on Saturday, May 6. That is 8pm AEST on Saturday.
In Australia, the coronation will be broadcast live and free from 5pm (AEDT) on Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now.
For royal fans wanting to start the celebrations early, a special edition of Weekend Today will be broadcast from 6am on Saturday.
Viewers can also relive all the magical moments of the coronation the following morning from 6am.
How to watch King Charles III’s coronation in Australia
You can watch coverage on Channel 9, hosted by Peter Overton and Ally Langdon, in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Tasmania, and on 9Gem in New South Wales and Queensland, as well as on 9Now.
Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania: 5pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
New South Wales and Queensland: 5pm on Channel 9 and 9Now, then 7pm on 9Gem and 9Now.
Western Australia: 3pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Northern Territory: 4.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now, then 6.30pm on 9Gem and 9Now.
What to expect from King Charles III’s coronation
The coronation will see King Charles III crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort in a ceremony conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
The core elements of the service are the recognition, oath, anointing, investiture, crowning and homage.
The recognition is when the sovereign stands in the theatre of the abbey and presents to the people.
After taking the coronation oath – which is a vow to rule according to law, exercise justice with mercy, and maintain the Church of England – the monarch is anointed with holy oil by the archbishop.
This moment is considered the most sacred part of the service and wasn’t televised in 1953. It won’t be televised on Saturday either.
The next part is the investiture, when the sovereign is dressed in sacred coronation robes and presented with the symbols of the monarchy: the orb, coronation ring, sceptres and others.
Toward the end of the ceremony, St Edward’s Crown is placed atop the monarch’s head before princes and peers make their way to the sovereign to pay their respects in what is known as homage.
Some historians think elements may be tweaked to reflect contemporary society, but the majority will probably still be present.
The coronation procession and route
King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel to their coronation from Buckingham Palace in the Australian-built Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
The ceremony will begin at 11am (local time) at Westminster Abbey and will be followed by a much larger procession back to the palace ahead of the royal family’s appearance on the balcony.
The procession from the palace, which will be accompanied by the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, will go down the Mall, through Admiralty Arch and along the south side of Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall and round Parliament Square to the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey.
Following the service, the King and Queen will ride back to Buckingham Palace in the historic Gold State Coach – one of the most challenging modes of transport ever endured by a British sovereign due to its 18th-century suspension.
The procession back to the palace will take the same route in reverse, a journey of around two kilometres.
It’s expected to take about 30 minutes to return to the palace.
King Charles coronation schedule
The coronation will start at 11am (local time) on Saturday and will run for just over an hour.
This will be followed by the King’s procession back to Buckingham Palace from 2pm (local time, 11pm AEST) before the royal family appear on the balcony and wave at spectators.
What will King Charles wear?
King Charles is rumoured to be dumping the succession of elaborate robes and tunics worn by a sovereign during a coronation.
Sources believe the King is “unlikely” to have as many outfit changes as his predecessors.
Instead, Charles could opt for a simple morning suit.
Will we get a public holiday for King Charles III’s coronation in Australia?
There will not be a public holiday for the coronation.
How will Charles’ coronation compare to Queen Elizabeth’s?
The processional route and service will both be shorter.
Another difference is the number of guests.
Back in ’53, so swollen was the guest list that temporary structures had to be erected within the abbey to accommodate the more than 8000 people invited.
Who is on the coronation guest list?
Speculation surrounding the names of invitees continues.
The guest list will reportedly be just 2000 and will include foreign royals and dignitaries from around the world.
Those invited will likely be many of the same people who attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on September 19, 2022.
Australia will be represented by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon as well as Governor-General David Hurley and his wife Linda Hurley.
They will be joined by a range of “outstanding” people who have made contributions across the arts, sport, defence, medicine, academia and business.
Will Harry and Meghan be there?
The Duke of Sussex has confirmed his attendance at his father’s big day.
However, he will be going on his own.
The palace confirmed in April that his wife, Meghan, will be staying in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
It is understood Meghan opted to forgo the celebrations as the day coincides with Archie’s fourth birthday.
Will Camilla be crowned Queen?
Yes, Camilla will be crowned Queen Consort.
But unlike the three most recent queen consorts – Alexandra, who was Edward VII’s wife; George V’s wife, Mary; and Elizabeth, wife of George VI – Camilla is not having a crown made specially for her coronation.
Instead, she’s opted to wear Queen Mary’s Crown.
Back when she paid for the silver crown in 1911, Queen Mary’s intention was for it to serve as the permanent crown of future consorts.
Who will perform at the King Charles III coronation concert?
American singers Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will be headlining the performance, which will take place on May 7, the day after the King and Queen Consort are officially crowned at Westminster Abbey.
They will be joined on stage by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, British pop group Take That, Bass baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and musician Alexis French.
