Everything to Know About King Charles III's Coronation

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort visit Talbot Yard Food Court in Malton, England, on April 5, 2023. Credit - Chris Jackson—Getty Images

King Charles became Britain’s monarch at the exact moment his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September. But now the new King is about to have his crowning moment of glory as the U.K. prepares for its first coronation in 70 years.

The historic moment will see Charles crowned in a ceremony alongside Camilla, who reportedly could drop her Queen Consort title and be known as Queen Camilla after the coronation. The symbolic event will see crowns placed on the heads of King Charles and Camilla, in a service carried out by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The coronation—known by the code name Operation Golden Orb—is set to be a lavish display of quirky British traditions with some more modern touches. Brits are invited to celebrate across a three-day weekend, where pubs and bars will be allowed to stay open for two additional hours on the day before and the day of the coronation.

The ornately illustrated invitations to the coronation were issued on April 4.

While the global population might not be partying in pubs with quite as much vim, major interest in the royal family’s latest event is expected around the world. Here’s what to know about King Charles’ coronation and how to watch it.

When is Coronation Day?

How can I watch Coronation Day?

Who is expected to attend?

Charles became king last year. Why is his coronation in 2023?

Will Charles wear the same crown as Queen Elizabeth?

When is Coronation Day?

The coronation is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey in London. The following day will be marked by lunches and street parties across the nation and a concert at Windsor Castle in the evening. Monday, May 8, will be observed as a public holiday in the U.K.

How can I watch Coronation Day

Charles’ ceremony will be televised to British and international audiences. Queen Elizabeth made history when she agreed to have the first-ever televised coronation, which was viewed by an estimated 27 million people in the U.K. alone, in what was one of the first major world events to be broadcast.

Since then, royal engagements have become increasingly documented by the media. Last year, the Accession Council was televised for the first time to showcase Charles, the new sovereign, succeeding the throne.

Building on this, the coronation will likely feature on a number of livestreams from international news outlets. Viewers can expect the BBC and BBC America to offer full television coverage of the event, while Sky News will broadcast live via their YouTube channel. A number of other international news outlets are expected to offer live blogs and rolling news coverage.

Who is expected to attend?

While 2,000 dignitaries are invited to attend King Charles’ coronation, this is just a quarter of the guests who participated in the crowning of Queen Elizabeth. But Charles reportedly wanted his coronation to be a more stripped back affair with a smaller guest list.

Among those expected to attend are members of the royal family, such as Charles’s three siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward, as well as his son, Prince William, and daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales. Prince George will have a prominent role in the coronation as a Page of Honor, tending to King Charles alongside Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Nicholas Barclay, and Ralph Tollemache. Meanwhile, Camilla will be tended to by additional Pages Gus and Louis Lopes, Freddy Parker Bowles, and Arthur Elliot.

It is not currently known if his other son, Prince Harry, will attend with Meghan Markle and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet but the family was extended an invitation.

Elsewhere, representatives from the U.K. Houses of Parliament and the Church, as well as prominent politicians from the Commonwealth and around the world will likely be among the attendees. This reportedly includes the U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, and Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who is Irish American and has long held a personal discomfort with the British monarchy, will not attend. Instead, the President told Charles that the First Lady, Jill Biden, will attend the coronation on his behalf, according to the White House.

Other world leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are likely to be present for the celebration.

Charles became king last year. Why is his coronation in 2023?

While Charles is already Britain’s monarch, a suitable amount of time must pass before his official coronation could take place. Queen Elizabeth, for example, was crowned on June 2, 1953, 15 months after her father King George VI died on Feb. 6, 1952.

This is typically so a monarch is afforded enough time to mourn the loss of their predecessor, as well as time to plan the large-scale event.

Will Charles wear the same crown as Queen Elizabeth?

King Charles III will be crowned with St. Edward’s Crown, a 17th Century, solid gold headpiece that has been integral to British coronations for over 350 years. It was made for Charles II by the royal goldsmith, Robert Vyner, in 1661 to replace a crown that was melted down in 1649.

The distinctive design consists of a solid gold frame set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes, and tourmalines. The crown has a purple velvet cap with an ermine fur band.

The crown—which was also worn by Queen Elizabeth during her 1953 coronation ceremony—is known for its remarkable weight. It is therefore only used at the exact moment of coronation.

In the months leading up to Charles’ big day, the crown was removed from its home with the other crown jewels in the Tower of London, and subject to modifications. Since the death of Queen Elizabeth, there has been a lot of tension surrounding the crown jewels with renewed calls for some of them to be returned to the former British colonies they hail from.

After the coronation, Charles will also wear the Imperial State crown, created for the coronation of King George VI in 1937.