King Charles’ coronation date revealed by Palace – with Camilla to be crowned as Queen by his side
CHARLES will be crowned King alongside his wife Camilla on May 6 next year, the Palace has confirmed.
His Majesty’s coronation at London’s Westminster Abbey will take place almost 70 years after his mother’s ceremony in 1953.
Detailed plans are yet to be finalised as to whether there will be a Bank Holiday for the occasion – with palace sources unable to confirm if Brits would be getting an extra day off work or not.
Brits could be in line to enjoy an additional Bank Holiday or an existing Bank Holiday could be moved – a decision that would ultimately be made by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
And while the King is understood to want a scaled back affair in recognition of the rising cost of living and to support his idea of a modern, slimmed-down monarchy, the event will still boast the pomp and ceremony of nine centuries of royal traditions.
The event will “represent modern Britain” and is expected to be cut to around a third in length – lasting just one hour.
It was previously reported the historic event would be held in June 2023, which marks the 70th anniversary of the Queen‘s coronation.
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But on Tuesday Buckingham Palace revealed the service for the new Head of State will take place on Saturday May 6, 2023 – eight months after Her Majesty’s death and on what will be Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s son Archie‘s fourth birthday.
The date was chosen so it does not clash with Eurovision which is held a week later in Liverpool and football cup finals at the end of the month and early June.
May has also got the nod as weather experts predict pleasant weather for the ceremony that will be watched on telly by millions around the globe.
Camilla will be crowned alongside her husband, just as the Queen Mother was by King George VI in 1937.
The Queen was crowned on June 2, 1953 – 16 months after becoming monarch, but her son will have to wait just nine months.
And the palace said the deeply religious affair will be “rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry” but also “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future”.
The event, which is steeped in more than 1,000 years of royal history, will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
Blueprints for the plans suggest the guest list will be slashed from 8,000 to 2,000.
And the dress code will be downgraded from ceremonial robes to more relaxed lounge suits, it is alleged.
Many Brits had hoped for an extra day off work for the big day, but most will already be off as it falls on a Saturday.
It also comes just days after the Early May bank holiday on May 1.
Coronations have not traditionally been held on a weekend, with the late Queen’s taking place on a Tuesday.
The Palace has yet to comment on whether there will be any arrangements for a new bank holiday.
During the investiture, Charles will read the coronation oath and pledge to govern the UK and other Commonwealth nations.
Seated in King Edward’s chair, used by every sovereign since 1626, he will be anointed with holy oil, receive the orb, coronation ring and sceptre.
The Archbishop will then place the majestic St Edward’s Crown on Charles’ head.
Camilla will also be anointed with holy oil and crowned, as the Queen Mother was alongside George VI.
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It is understood that the ceremony will include the same core elements of the traditional service, which has retained a similar structure for more than 1,000 years, while also recognising the spirit of our times.
It is expected to be on a smaller scale and shorter, with suggestions that it could last just 60 minutes rather than more than three hours as in the past.
Charles’ coronation is also expected to be more inclusive of multi-faith Britain than past coronations but will be an Anglican service.
Guest numbers will be reduced, with peers expected to wear suits and dresses instead of ceremonial robes, and a number of rituals, such as the presentation of gold ingots, axed.
Security will be heightened given the high-profile nature of the day, codenamed Operation Golden Orb.
Further details will be released in due course, but the Government and the royal household will be conscious of the scale of the coronation in light of the cost of living crisis facing the country.
Charles became King following the death of his mother on September 8.
He formally ascended to the throne two days later aged 73, making him the oldest person to become monarch in British history.
He broke the record of William IV, who became king at the age of 64.
Elizabeth II delivered a masterstroke on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee in February 2022 when she endorsed the then-Duchess of Cornwall to be known as Queen Consort when the time came.
Royal aides insisted, when she married Charles, that Camilla did not want to be queen and said originally that she “intended” to be known instead as Princess Consort – the first in British history – when Charles acceded to the throne.
The wife of a king automatically becomes a Queen and only a change in legislation would prevent her from doing so.
But there had been much controversy over whether Camilla would use the title, being Charles’ former mistress who later became his spouse.
The royal website used to declare: “A Queen Consort is crowned with the King, in a similar but simpler ceremony.”
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But, following Charles’s marriage to Camilla, it added the get-out clause “unless decided otherwise”.
The Duke of Norfolk, who organised the Queen’s funeral, has the role of staging the coronation.
