Buckingham Palace on Saturday released new details about King Charles III’s weekend-long coronation celebration this May, which will include a star-studded televised concert at Windsor Palace.
The festivities will start with Charles and Queen Consort Camilla's coronations at Westminster Abbey on the morning of May 6 (where Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was held), which will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The palace called it a "solemn religious service, as well as an occasion for celebration and pageantry."
"As previously announced, the Service will reflect the Monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry," the palace said in a release.
It is expected to be a more slimmed-down event compared to the late queen's 1953 coronation.
The king and queen consort will arrive from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the "King’s Procession" and will proceed back to the palace afterward in the larger "Coronation Procession" that will include members of the royal family.
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The royal family then will appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to conclude the day’s events.
The palace gave no information on whether Prince Harry, who is promoting his book "Spare," which is highly critical of the royal family, or Meghan Markle will attend the coronation or any of its surrounding events.
Harry declined to say if he would accept an invitation to the coronation in a recent interview, saying, "There's a lot that can happen between now and then. But the door is always open. The ball is in their court."
On Saturday, May 7, "global music icons and contemporary stars" will headline a BBC-produced Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle. The palace didn’t specify who would be performing at the show.
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The concert is open to the public and will include volunteers from the king and queen consort’s charities. Through a national ballot several thousand Britons will receive free tickets to the show.
The concert will also have an orchestra, dancers, a Coronation Choir made up of community choirs from across the country and "spoken word sequences delivered by stars of stage and screen."
During the show, iconic landmarks across the U.K. will be lit for "Lighting up the Nation."
On Sunday, people across the country are invited to have a meal together for the Coronation Big Lunches, a nationwide act of celebration and friendship. "From a cup of tea with a neighbour to a street party, a Coronation Big Lunch brings the celebrations to your neighbourhood and is a great way to get to know your community a little better," the palace said.
The Big Help Out, a volunteering initiative, will be held on Monday, May 8, and "will encourage people to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas."
Charles and Camilla "hope the Coronation Weekend will provide an opportunity to spend time and celebrate with friends, families and communities across the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth," the release said. "Their Majesties are looking forward to marking the occasion with the public throughout 2023."
