Photo: Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty
King Charles IIIandQueen Consort Camillaare inviting all the U.K. to their coronation weekend.
Scheduled forMay 6-8, Buckingham Palace announced Saturday in a press release that the three-day celebration will include a star-studded public concert at Windsor Castle to be broadcast live on BBC, in addition to multiple community and service-based initiatives.
Departing from the1953 coronationofQueen Elizabeth II, whodied at age 96in September, His Majesty The King, 74, will commemorate the end of his mother’s 70-year reign (the nation’s longest) and the beginning of his with “ceremonial, celebratory and community events.”
“Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort hope the Coronation Weekend will provide an opportunity to spend time and celebrate with friends, families and communities across the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth,” Buckingham Palace shared in the release. “Their Majesties are looking forward to marking the occasion with the public throughout 2023.”
See all the details about the King and Queen Consort’s coronation weekend below.
King Charles and Queen Camilla.Chris Jackson/Getty
The Coronation Service
Saturday, May 6Westminster Abbey
The King’s Procession will start at Buckingham Palace and make its way to Westminster Abbey, where the King and Queen Consort’s coronation will take place.
The Mail on Sundaypreviously reported that they wereplanning a scaled-back coronationwith a one-hour ceremony that will welcome 2,000 guests, compared to the 8,000 at the Queen’s three-hour coronation. The King is also expected to have a “more religiously and culturally diverse” service and do away with certain rites and extravagances.
“The King has stripped back a lot of the Coronation in recognition that the world has changed in the past 70 years,” another insider added.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on the day of the monarch’s coronation in 1953.The Print Collector/Getty
The Coronation Concert
Sunday, May 7Windsor Castle
A new documentary will explore the formation of the Coronation Choir, made up of amateur singers and members of Refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf signing choirs across the U.K. The group will perform at the concert with the Virtual Choir, featuring singers across the Commonwealth.
Synchronized with the event, “Lighting up the Nation” will see iconic locations across the nation illuminated with projections, lasers and drone displays.
The Coronation Concert will broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
The Coronation Big Lunch
Sunday, May 7
With thousands of events expected to take place across the U.K., the “nationwide act of celebration and friendship” will encourage citizens to embrace their community.
“From a cup of tea with a neighbour to a street party, a Coronation Big Lunch brings the celebrations to your neighbourhood and is a great way to get to know your community a little better,” the press release stated.
RELATED VIDEO: Taking a Look Back atQueen Elizabeth’s Coronation on Her 95th Birthday
The royal family celebrated another version of the event in June with the Queen’sBig Jubilee Lunchto mark her 70-year rule.
Resources for joining the festivities are available atCoronationBigLunch.com.
The Big Help Out
Monday, May 8
In honor of King Charles' years of public service, the nationwide initiative “will highlight the positive impact volunteering has on communities across the nation.”
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source: people.com
