Your Guide to King Charles III’s Coronation Day

While we still mourn the significant loss of Queen Elizabeth, at the same time, we take comfort in looking forward to the future. With the announcement of the Queen's death came much sadness and many changes, the most noteworthy being the new King. Immediately, King Charles III took over the role of his late mother, promising to lead the nation with strength. Although HRH is technically now the reigning monarch, he has yet to make things official by donning a crown in a coronation ceremony. After much speculation, Buckingham Palace has finally announced the details of this monumental day. Here's everything we know so far.

Codenamed 'Operation Golden Orb,' the momentous coronation ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023. For those less familiar with Royal protocol, this may seem like a drawn-out process, 8 months after the King accepted his position in the accession ceremony. However, this gap is a traditional part of the monarch changeover, as time is given for national mourning and ceremony planning. Queen Elizabeth's coronation took place 16 months after she took the throne in February 1952. It is expected that the King will sign a proclamation in a Privy Council meeting before the end of 2022.

For the big day, members of The Royal Family will once again travel to Westminster Abbey in London. The site of Queen Elizabeth's funeral and Prince William and Kate's wedding, this venue has been the backdrop to some of the most historical Royal moments. Most importantly, every British King and Queen has been coronated there for the past 900 years! The Palace explains that the coronation is "a solemn religious service, together with an occasion for celebration and pageantry." Both King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned, and the new monarch will be "anointed, blessed, and consecrated" by the Archbishop of Canterbury. "The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry," the statement said. 

Although people from all over the world feel a sense of allegiance to The Royal Family, it is only the British who will benefit from a public holiday, known in England as a 'bank holiday.' That said, the historical ceremony will be televised for all to see - we're setting our calendars now! Stay tuned.