The Royal Files (not so) Official Guide to the Coronation!!!

All the details of King Charles & Queen Camilla’s Big Day

Welcome to my guide to the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla! This is a once in a lifetime event and I’ve done my best to put together all of the details I can find! And everything here has been officially confirmed - no tabloid speculation about flower crowns here…😬 I’m also including links that you might find interesting or helpful with more details. I hope that you enjoy this guide and find it interesting and/or helpful!

When?

The Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla will take place on Saturday the 6th of May. The King’s Procession (the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey) begins at 10:20am local London time. The coronation service begins at 11am and is expected to finish at around 1pm. This will be followed by the Coronation Procession from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace. The King and Queen (and likely other working members of the royal family) will appear on the palace balcony. At 2:30pm London time, there will be an RAF flypast (weather permitting).

Where?

The Service will be held at Westminster Abbey in London. Every coronation since 1066 has been held at the Abbey.

How to Watch the Coronation

In the UK the coronation is being shown on multiple television channels and platforms so just choose your favourite channel/presenters etc and go with it.

For the rest of the world, your options will vary greatly on where you are:

The official royal family YouTube channel will have a live stream of the coronation. It won’t have commentary or guest arrivals or any of that bonus stuff but it is a really great option if you have no other way to watch.

For countries with the Britbox streaming service available, they are also showing the coronation. Check the availability of Britbox in your country - I know it is available in Australia and the US but nit sure where else.

In Australia, it will be broadcast on Channels 7, 9, 10 and the ABC. If you have Foxtel, it will be shown on the BBC UKTV channel and SkyNews. It will also be on the Britbox streaming service.

What does the coronation ceremony involve?

The coronation service will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

The service itself has six parts

• The recognition

• The oath

• The anointing (the only part of the ceremony which won’t be televised)

• The investiture (this includes the crowning)

• The enthronement

• The homage

I’m putting a link below to the Westminster Abbey website. They have an excellent section on the coronation service and its history. I’m also linking the official Coronation Liturgy.

westminster-abbey.org

https://www.churchofengland.org/coronation/liturgy

The Coronation Regalia

The coronation regalia is the group of priceless objects that are used throughout the coronation service. Most of the regalia was made in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II. Most of the previous medieval regalia had been melted down or sold when the monarchy had been abolished following the English Civil War.

The regalia includes the two crowns that King Charles will wear - he will be crowned with St Edward’s Crown and will wear the Imperial State Crown when he leaves the Abbey. Queen Camilla will be crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown.

The coronation regalia also includes the ampulla and coronation spoon (the oldest object in the regalia, it dates from the 13th century) used to anoint the King. There is also the Orb, the Sceptres and other objects.

Click on the link below for more background on the objects that will be used during the coronation.

https://www.royal.uk/coronation-regalia?fbclid=PAAabhk-ECzcloEtSO6Na1JL0qgJd_nbKDNqIhGyVZm59gKRH4K840pLswBEM

The Processions

There will be two processions on the day of the coronation. The first is called the King’s Procession. The King and Queen will depart Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach. The coach was created for Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It will be drawn by six Windsor Grey horses. The King’s Procession will be accompanied by the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Calvary. The procession will travel a route along the Mall, Whitehall and Parliament Street to Westminster Abbey. (See link below for detailed routes of both processions).

The second procession of the day will be called the Coronation Procession. This will be the procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. It will travel the same route but in reverse. For this procession their Majesties will travel in the Gold State Coach. This will be a much larger procession. It will include Armed forces from across the Commonwealth, the British Overseas Territories and all services of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom.

I can’t wait to see these processions, this kind of pomp and pageantry is what the British do best!

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-coronation-of-their-majesties-king-charles-iii-and-queen-camilla/how-to-watch-the-coronation-and-processions-saturday-6-may

What will the King & Queen Wear?

The King and Queen will each wear two sets of coronation robes. The Robes of State are worn on arrival at Westminster Abbey and the Robes of Estate are worn on their departure from the Abbey after the service. King Charles will be wearing the robes worn by his grandfather, King George VI, at his coronation in 1937. Queen Camilla will wear a Robe of State made for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and a new Robe of Estate has been made especially for her.

It has yet to be officially confirmed what the King will wear underneath his robes but it was rumoured a few months ago that he would wear military uniform and I suspect that will be the case. If he does go the uniform route I would think he will wear his Royal Navy uniform of the rank. There has been no official confirmation of Queen Camilla’s coronation dress yet so that will be a lovely surprise!

There are also a number of other traditional ceremonial garments worn by the monarch during the ceremony. Check the link for more detail.

https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2023-05-01/historic-coronation-vestments-from-the-royal-collection-will-be-reused

What Will Everyone Else Be Wearing?

Aah, the dreaded dress code. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️😂 This has been the subject of so much drama and histrionics lately. It has been actually more than a little much. Anyhoo, let’s dive in…

Let’s start with the majority of the congregation. Nothing has actually been confirmed officially about dress code. But it’s pretty well widely known public knowledge that it is a day dress dress code. This means day dresses and hats and morning suit/uniform for serving members (I believe - I may be wrong on that one) and national dress. I believe that members of parliament (the upper house, the House of Lords) who have robes will be allowed to wear them.

I fully support this dress code and other modernisation changes by King Charles. It is 2023 and the UK is in the middle of a cost of living crisis. I guarantee you, nobody (except maybe royal watchers 😂) wants to see a church full of aristocrats and royals from other countries in robes, tiaras and coronets. This coronation was never going to look like the Queen’s. And a big part of that is the dress code. We also need to remember that a big of King Charles’ aim for this coronation was to make it more modern, sustainable, inclusive and to highlight diversity. Not every member of the congregation will able to afford/access robes/tiaras etc. So I think it’s only right that the dress code is one that everyone can follow and not stand out. I won’t deny that it would have been amazing to see the kind of outfits worn in 1953, but I also fully understand and support the change in dress code.

Now, to what the royal family will be wearing. We literally know nothing about their outfits. The only royals we do know about are the King and Queen and the Princess Royal - she will be in uniform. There has been more than enough speculation on this topic so I’m not going to get into it here. I will just say this - does it really matter? Sure, be disappointed if there are no tiaras. But don’t let it ruin your coronation experience. People need to just calm down and enjoy the day whatever everyone is wearing. This is an event that most of us will have never experienced before, let’s just soak it in and enjoy it. I promise you, it truly doesn’t matter whether Kate is wearing a tiara, a flower crown or a towel on her head from the shower. Everyone is going to look wonderful!

What Roles Will the Royal Family Have In the Coronation Service?

We all know that Their Majesties will be the stars of the coronation but several other royal family members will have roles to play in the service.

• Prince William will pay homage to his father, the King, after he is crowned.

• Prince George will be a page of honour for his grandfather, King Charles. This role entails attending to the king during the coronation - helping to carry his robes etc.

• The Princess Royal (as colonel of the Blues & Royals) will be Gold-Stick-in -Waiting. The person performing this role was traditionally entrusted with the monarch’s personal safety. To carry out this role, Princess Anne will wear uniform and ride on horseback following the King and Queen’s carriage in the coronation procession.

No other official role has been announced for any other royal family member but the Princess of Wales and her children attended the coronation rehearsal yesterday so I assume that they will be part of the procession leaving the Abbey.

Who Else Will Have Roles in the Ceremony?

• Queen Camilla will have four pages - her three grandsons Gus and Louis Lopes and Freddy Parker Bowles and the grandson of her sister Annabelle - Arthur Elliot.

• Alongside Prince George, the King will have three other pages of honour - Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Nicholas Barclay and Ralph Tollemache.

• There is also a long list of people who have been honoured with ceremonial roles during the service. I’m putting a link below with the full list if you are interested in learning more!

https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2023-04-27/roles-to-be-performed-at-the-coronation-service-at-westminster-abbey

Guest List

This has been another area of contention in the lead up to the coronation as everyone and their dog has an opinion on who should or shouldn’t be invited. In 1953, there were over 8000 guests at the Queen’s Coronation! There will only be 2000 in attendance at King Charles’ coronation. So that means massive cuts and quite probably a lot of very aristocratic noses out of joint! King Charles is aiming for a more modern, inclusive and diverse coronation so this guest list will be a very different make up than that of 1953. This is who we know for sure will be attending:

• The Royal Family - I think we can expect a full complement of extended royal family members. I’m assuming this will include all the working royals, the Yorks, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Margaret’s children, the Kents and the Gloucesters.

• Friends and family of the King and Queen. This will include Queen Camilla’s family (including her children, grandchildren, sister and former husband Andrew Parker Bowles). I believe that the Middletons are also invited.

• Members of other royal families - royal families from across the world have confirmed their coronation attendance. Each royal family appears to be sending two guests so it will be fun to see them all!

• UK Leaders and Members of Parliament - UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be attending alongside former Prime Ministers. Political leaders from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be there. As will other members of both houses of the UK Parliament.

• Foreign Heads of State and Leaders - many countries will be represented by their political leaders. This includes the Prime Ministers of Commonwealth Realms such as Anthony Albanese of Australia and Justin Trudeau of Canada. The presidents of France, Poland and many other nations will be in attendance as will US First Lady Jill Biden.

• Religious representatives - the most senior Anglican clergy will be there including the Archbishop of Canterbury (who will be conducting the coronation service) and the Archbishop of York. There will also be leaders from other faiths at the coronation - including the Chief Rabbi of the UK and leaders of the Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh and Islamic faiths.

• The rest of the congregation will be made up of British nobility, community and charity representatives and more than 450 recipients of the British Empire medal. I love this part of the guest list so much - I love that King Charles has made a real effort to include as many people as possible, from all backgrounds and walks of life and people who have done genuine good for their communities.

Coronation Concert

The coronation concert will take place at Windsor Castle on Sunday. It will feature permonaces by many acts including Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Over 100 countries will be watching from all over the world.

I am really excited to watch this! I’m also glad that they’re changing it up and having the concert at Windsor Castle.

The Big Help Out

The Big Help Out is happening on the Monday after the coronation (the 8th of May). It is a national day of volunteering in the UK to mark the King’s coronation. Individuals and charities can register to be involved and help out in their local communities. The aim of the Big Help Out is to raise awareness of volunteering and to help provide opportunities for people to experience volunteering and making a difference to their communities.

I love this idea! I think it’s a really wonderful thing to be doing and I hope it’s a big success. I think that we can also expect to see a royal family member or two at Big Help Out events on Monday.

Well, I think that’s enough for now! I hope you have enjoyed my little guide to the coronation. Let me know in the comments if you have more questions. Two days to go - I can’t wait!!!