King Charles’s Coronation guide: Start time, where to watch it and ceremony details revealed

27 April 2023, 10:45 | Updated: 27 April 2023, 10:59

The royal family will be gathering on May 6th for King Charles's Coronation but what time does it start? And what's the timetable for the day?

King Charles III and his royal team are busy pulling together the final details for his upcoming coronation on May 6th including the official start time, procession route and the royal regalia that will be used on the day.

And as the day approaches, the British public are beginning to pull their own celebration plans together from street parties, lunches and even finding volunteering opportunities as they plan to take part in the bank holidays 'Big Help Out' scheme.

With confirmed details for the coronation day beginning to come through, here's all the important details you need to know about the big royal affair from the start time to the order of events.

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Everything you need to know about the King’s coronation

What time is King Charles III's Coronation?

The new King will have a lavish ceremony on May 6th at Westminster Abbey which will start at 11am.

The public will be able to see Charles and wife Camilla Parker Bowles on their way to the ceremony as they travel using the Diamond Jubilee state coach.

What does the crowning entail?

The coronation will see Charles take his oath, swearing to uphold the law and the Church of England along with a ceremony of events to cement his new title.

After being anointed with consecrated oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the crown of St Edward will be placed on his head and he will officially be crowned King Charles III. However, the anointing is to be a private moment, not shown to the public on TV.

Charles will then sit in the coronation chair, holding the sovereign's sceptre and rod, and the sovereign's orb – both of which represent his control of the nation and the Christian world respectively.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The Coronation is a solemn religious service, together with an occasion for celebration and pageantry.

"The ceremony has retained a similar structure for over a thousand years, and this year’s Coronation is expected to include the same core elements while recognising the spirit of our times.

"For the last 900 years, the ceremony has taken place at Westminster Abbey, London. Since 1066, the service has almost always been conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury."

Who will attend the coronation ceremony?

Westminster Abbey is expected to have all its 2,200 on the Saturday event filled by members of the Royal Family, the Prime Minister, heads of state, representatives from the Houses of Parliament, and a number of royals from around the world are expected to attend.

The full details of individual RSVPs are yet to be confirmed, although it is known that more than 850 charity and community representatives have received an invitation.

One notable individual to receive an invite is the "boy in the tent", a young boy who has slept in a garden tent for three years, raising more than £750,000 for North Devon Hospice.

What is the order of events for King Charles's Coronation day?

With a whole weekend allocated to celebrate the crowning of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, there is obviously a strict timetable of events. Here's the details which have been reported so far:

11am: King Charles's Coronation ceremony begins - it is unknown exactly how long the ceremony will last but Queen Elizabeth's lasted three hours.

2pm (aprox.): King's procession begins

Following the procession, which will run for 1.3miles, the royal family will gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. There will also be the coronation flyover where times and route are yet to be confirmed.

What is the weekend's programme of events?

The King's Coronation celebrations will last the whole bank holiday weekend, spanning three days. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday

King and Queen Consort's Coronation ceremony

Sunday

Coronation Big Lunches - neighbours and communities are invited to share food and fun with their neighbourhoods and local communities. Whether that's over shared lunch, a street party or a simple cup of tea, there's to be had fun for all.

Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle

Lighting up the Nation - various parts of the UK will be lit up by drone displays, illuminations, projections and lasers

Monday

Big Help Out - the public are encouraged to volunteer and join projects in their local area.

Who will be at the Coronation Concert and what will happen?

A number of stars from across the world are expected to make a hotly anticipated appearance at the Sunday event.

It will see Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie join the Windsor Castle stage in celebration.

A "coronation choir", featuring an diverse selection of individuals, will also perform for royal fans on the day. The varied choir group represents people across the nation, including those from refugee singing groups, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ groups and deaf signing choirs.

Only those with a ticket to the event will be able to attend in person, as 10,000 lucky individuals were drawn in a ballot. Volunteers from charities affiliated with the King and Queen will also be in attendance.

Where can you watch it?

There will be a screening at the Hyde Park screening site, which will show the ceremony on a large screen, and additional smaller screens at The Green Park and St James's Park.

Outside the capital's centre, Boxpark Wembley and Boxpark Croydon are both scheduled to project the historic event.

For those looking to watch at home, all major broadcasters are expected to provide some coverage of the coronation. Exact details from British TV channels are set to be confirmed soon.

How does it compare to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation?

King Charles's return journey is notably shorter than the late Queen's in 1953, which was five miles long.

Charles and Camilla's post-coronation route is 1.3 miles and they will make the return journey in the 260-year-old Gold State Coach.

The royal pair will travel down The Mall via Admiralty Arch, the south side of Trafalgar Square, then journey along Whitehall and Parliament Street, take the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary, before arriving at the Abbey.

After the ceremony they will do the same journey in reverse, offering royal fans who secure a viewing position a chance to see the newly crowned Charles and Camilla twice.

Will there be a bank holiday for the event?

The event takes place on Saturday, however a bank holiday has been added the Monday after the official ceremony on May 8.

It is on this day the public are encouraged to take volunteer in local projects as part of the Big Help Out.

More than six million people are expected to take part, with younger demographics predicted as the most likely to take part in the scheme, as roughly 24 per cent of 25-34 year olds plan to participate.