Coronation Of King Charles III And Queen Camilla

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Coronation celebrations in London!

By Anna Purpurpurpur

Today, on the 6th of May, we’re celebrating the coronation of The King and The Queen Consort, and the country is going to stretch the festivities for a few days.

Let me provide you with a glimpse of the celebration and some useful info here!

Coronation King Charles III and Queen Camilla

What’s happening in London on the Coronation day?

The whole city celebrates the coronation too. London is drowning in flags and flowers although the festivities felt not as grand as for the Queen’s Jubilee last year. Images and sculptures featuring the crowns are everywhere to be found.

The main areas to visit are Regent street, Oxford street, Strand, St James’s, Mayfair and Covent garden all covered with Union Jacks. The Burlington arcade, The Dorchester and Bond Street are among other places not to miss.

King’s Road ha a large Coat of Arms installation featuring a parade of over a hundred of King Charles Cavalier Spaniels and pedestrianised area Sloane Square to Cheltenham Terrace with a decorated large table as part of the nation’s Big Lunch.

The Royal Coat of Arms installation featuring the Lion and the Unicorn made from natural materials was put up earlier and features delphinium, the favourite flower of the King. Regardless of the weather, the entertainments unfold as they were planned to be,

You can find coronation souvenirs in all the shops not to mentions souvenir kiosks. My favourites were the Fortnum and Mason and the Partridges!.

Many restaurants and cafes sell limited edition food and afternoon teas such as The Connaught Patisserie, Peggy Porschen Cakes and The Carlton Tower Jumeirah Hotel in Knightsbridge.

The screens are set at Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park for the official translation of the ceremony. All the screening areas have cafes, toilets (with baby changes) and water refill stations.

Big Ben is participating in the Lighting Up the Nation event: it got illuminated with the national flowers – rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock – and the words of the National anthem.

There are plenty activities for the kids too includes the series of books with stickers dedicated to the events of the day.

What happens during the Coronation service?

The coronation takes place on the 6th of May. The King and the Queen Consort leave Buckingham Palace in Diamond Jubilee State Coach (the newest carriage which even has an AC – rather than more old-fashioned Gold State Coach that appeared later) at 10.20am passing The Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and Parliament Square all the way up to Westminster Abbey. This procession is called The King’s Procession’.

Next, Charles (and Camilla) will be crowned in Westminster Abbey – and he’s the 40th monarch to be crowned there since William the Conqueror in 1066. Guests of the Abbey include Heads of States and notable public members (see the list here).

During the service the monarch is presented with regalia: Sovereign’s Orb, the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove and the Crown (Camilla is presented with the Queen Consort’s Rod with Dove and the Queen Consort’s Sceptre with Cross on her side too).

The important object to note during the coronation is the Coronation Chair, or St Edward’s Chair, made over 7 centuries ago (it’s been on display at the Westminster Abbey for some time), and other two chairs to be used during the ceremony are Chairs of Estate and Throne Chairs.

Traditionally the monarch has two sets of robes for the coronation: he/she wears the Robes of State upon arrival to the Abbey and departs wearing Robes of Estate. Look for different parts of the King’s vestments as all of them have a symbolic meaning and intricate design: Colobium Sindonis (white linen tunic), the Supertunica (a gold long coat) worn under the detailed Imperial Mantle, the Girdle (or the Coronation Sword Belt) and the Coronation Glove. As King Charles has always been an eco warrior, he’ll be reusing some of the items caring about sustainability in opposition to the monarchs of the past for whom usually new vestments were made.

The crowns used during the ceremony today are St Edward’s Crown (the one King Charles is crowned with in the Abbey) and The Imperial State Crown, he wore later on.

After the coronation the King and The Queen Consort leave Westminster Abbey and go back to Buckingham Palace (this part of the day is called The Coronation Procession) – this time Gold State Coach, the most glorious carriage of all. The coronation ceremonies end with the appearance of Their Majesties and the Members of the Royal Family on the balcony and the flypast.

Coronation Weekend

Coronation festivities don’t stop on the 6th. On the 7th the country celebrates with Big Lunches and also a special Coronation Concert takes place at Windsor Castle (we visited a smaller one in Windsor Castle dedicated to the Queen’s Jubilee last year, read more about it here) – it will broadcasted nationwide.

On the 8th, the public is invited to participate in volunteering work via The Big Help Out, where charity organisations call for help of all sorts.

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