King Charles III has already begun his reign, but the symbolic celebration of his crowning will have to wait several more months.
The coronation, which will take place in Westminister Abbey in London, will also feature the Queen consort, Camilla, being crowned. The Archbishop of Canterbury will lead the ceremony.
The King is expected to be crowned with the 17th Century St. Edward’s Crown of solid gold while sitting on the 14th Century King Edward’s Chair.
The service will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023, following a 4-day work week for most in the U.K., thanks to a bank holiday on May 1. The date also happens to fall on the birthday of King Charles’ grandson Archie, son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who will turn 4 years old, which happens to be the same age that King Charles was when he attended his mother’s coronation in 1953.
Nearly 30 million people watched that coronation on television. It can be safely assumed that a global audience of a much larger number will view this upcoming version, with some early estimates saying well over a hundred million.
The ceremony will be a stripped down version of earlier coronations, which usually take around 3 hours, though it has not yet been decided what elements will be condensed and, for that matter, if the King’s celebration will differ greatly from his mother’s. Many have speculated that certain aspects will be cut entirely in an attempt to help the overall service clock in at a little over an hour in length.
About 2,000 guests will be in attendance, greatly reduced from Queen Elizabeth II‘s coronation guest list of over 8,000.
Buckingham Palace released a statement saying, “The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.”
