What time is the coronation of King Charles today?

THE day for King Charles III's coronation has finally arrived.

Formal celebrations will begin with a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.

What time is the coronation of King Charles?

Charles officially became King following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

However, it is tradition to wait several months after accession to crown the new sovereign.

King Charles' coronation takes place TODAY on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

Events will begin at 10.20am, with the King's Procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.

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The service starts at 11 am.

His Majesty's coronation in Westminster Abbey will be 70 years after his mother the Queen was crowned.

The late Queen's coronation took place on June 2, 1953 – over a year after she ascended to the throne following the death of her father King George VI.

The ceremony will be shorter, smaller and less expensive than that of the Queen's, however, it will still be an extravagant affair.

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It will end at 1pm when the Coronation Procession will take the newly-crowned King and Queen back to the Palace.

What is a coronation?

A coronation is the crowning of the new King or Queen.

Within the ceremony, the crown is physically placed on the sovereign’s head.

King Charles is being crowned with the St Edward’s Crown and will also be presented with royal ceremonial objects which are part of the Crown Jewels collection.

The ceremony is a long, intricate process steeped in tradition and dates back to 973 AD when King Edgar was crowned at Bath Abbey.

Since then, every monarch has had a coronation ceremony in some form, with each tailored to the preference of the reigning King or Queen.

What happens at a coronation?

The coronation service features five main elements, beginning with the recognition.

It continues with the oath, anointing, investiture, and crowning.

It will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and take place in London’s Westminster Abbey, as it has for the past 900 years.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will first confirm Charles’ acceptance of becoming King by reading The Coronation Oath.

Charles will be asked if he will govern the UK and other nations of the Commonwealth, and do so with law and justice.

King Charles will be seated in the Coronation Chair – known as Edward’s Chair.

He will hold the sovereign’s sceptre and rod, to represent control of the nation, and the sovereign’s orb, to represent the Christian world.

Charles will be anointed with holy oil, blessed and consecrated by the Archbishop, who will then place the crown of St Edward on Charles’ head.

What crowns will be worn at the coronation?

Camilla will be wearing a crown made by Garrard for Queen Mary, who was also a Queen Consort and was coronated alongside King George V in 1911.

There will be additional jewels incorporated that pay homage to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The Koh-i-noor diamond will not be featured in the updated version.

King Charles III will wear the St Edward's Crown.

The crown is made from solid gold and contains 444 gemstones, including rubies, sapphires, garnets, and tourmalines.

This will be the first and only time the new King will wear this crown.

He will then wear the Imperial State Crown as he leaves Westminster Abbey, after the coronation ceremony.

The Crown is estimated to cost more than £3billion and was worn by the Queen in her famous coronation photograph.

Prince William is expected to wear a small crown, also called a coronet at the event.

He will then vow to be the "liege man of life and limb".

Usually, this would apply to all men in the family, however, Charles has decided to break tradition with William being the only male royal to perform the ritual.

What is the coronation procession route?

In keeping with the King’s wish for a smaller-scale ceremony, the 1.3-mile (2.1km) procession will be much shorter than that staged for the coronation of his mother, the late Queen.

The new King and Queen will instead travel to the Abbey along the Mall, through Admiralty Arch and along the south side of Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall and along Parliament Street.

The procession will then travel around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary where they will eventually end up at Westminster Abbey for the 11am service.

The decision is said to be mainly based on practical reasons.

After being crowned, the couple will return to Buckingham Palace along the same route, but it will be on a far larger scale.

It will include Armed Forces from across the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories, alongside the Sovereign's Bodyguard and Royal Watermen.

Once they arrive at the Palace, they will receive a royal salute from the troops on parade, before stepping out on the balcony for an RAF flypast.

Will there be a bank holiday for the coronation?

There will be an official, extra bank holiday to mark King Charles III's coronation on Monday, May 8, 2023.

This comes two days after the King is crowned at Westminster Abbey.

Announcing the bank holiday, Rishi Sunak said: “The coronation of a new monarch is a unique moment for our country.

"In recognition of this historic occasion, I am pleased to announce an additional bank holiday for the whole United Kingdom.”

“I look forward to seeing people come together to celebrate and pay tribute to King Charles III by taking part in local and national events across the country in his honour.”

Who is expected to attend the coronation?

Senior members of the Government and the Church of England will attend, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, along with other leading members of the Commonwealth.

The event will be attended by heads of state from around the world, including Ireland, France, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Hungary and Monaco.

Despite the ongoing tension in the Royal Family, Prince Harry has accepted the King's invitation and will attend the big day without his wife Meghan Markle who will be caring for their children.

Close friend Omid Scobie said: "Expect it to be a fairly quick trip to the UK for Prince Harry, who will only be attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey."

Sarah Ferguson has not been invited despite Meghan leaving a spare seat in the Abbey.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s children will attend the historic occasion – including youngest, Prince Louis.

Other attendees include Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, and Prince Edward and his wife Sophie.

There are also 850 community representatives that have been invited to the coronation to honour their charity works.