King Charles III officially ascended the throne of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth on Sept.8, 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. The new king and his queen consort, Camilla, spent the early days of their reign presiding over formal events honoring the late queen. However, after months of planning, the time has arrived for the formal coronation of Britain’s king and queen consort.
On the morning of May 6, King Charles III will be crowned in a coronation ceremony rich with centuries-old traditions. The event will be broadcast live for the world to watch this weekend. Here’s how to watch and keep up with all the royal events and their significance.
Where And When To Watch Charles’ Coronation
Fans of the British royal family will need to get up early to watch the start of the day’s festivities, which start at 5:20 a.m. EST. (10:20 a.m. in United Kingdom). It will take nearly 30 minutes for the royal procession to make its way through London to the coronation site at Westminster Abbey, according to CBS News.
The king and queen consort will ride in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach to Westminster Abbey. Following the coronation, they will take the 4.5-mile route to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, a 260-year-old carriage that has been used in every coronation since 1831, when William IV’s was crowned king. “It was first used by George III to travel to the State Opening of Parliament in 1762 when he was still king of Britain’s American colonies,” Reuters reported.
Charles’ approximate 2-hour ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. EST and will be about 2 hours shorter than his mother’s coronation in 1953.
Viewers can watch the coronation on every major network, including CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox. Cable news networks will also broadcast the event.
What Happens During the Coronation?
The Archbishop of Canterbury will preside over the coronation ceremony, where the king will take an oath to uphold the law and the Church of England. During the only private moment of the event, King Charles III will go behind the custom-designed Anointing Screen to be anointed with holy oil from Jerusalem in “a moment between the sovereign and God,” representatives of Buckingham Palace told Reuters.
King Charles will then have the St. Edward’s Crown, which was made in 1661, placed on his head and be given the royal robe, the coronation ring, the royal orb and the scepter to complete his formal coronation. Afterward, Camilla will publicly be anointed (though the process won’t be hidden behind the sacred screen).
Once the formal ceremony is complete, the newly crowned king and queen will present a series of community festivities throughout the weekend, including an all-star concert, a luncheon and organized volunteer efforts around Great Britain.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories.
