The coronation of King Charles III will take place next year on Saturday 6 May, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The religious ceremony will be held at London’s Westminster Abbey, and conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
The King will be crowned alongside his wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort.
It is thought the coronation will be more modest and shorter than previous ceremonies, with some suggesting it will last one hour.
The Palace said the ceremony would “reflect the monarch’s role today and looks towards the future” whilst staying “rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry”.
It has still not been confirmed whether there will be a Bank Holiday to mark the day, although the fact it falls on a weekend might suggest this is unlikely.
The Queen’s coronation on 2 June 1953 took three hours with a congregation of 8,000 dignitaries. The event was broadcast live on television, attracting record-breaking audiences around the world.
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Back then, thousands lined the streets for a glimpse of the Queen in the gold state coach, which has been used for coronations since George IV.
It is not known whether the coach will be used this time.
The date of the coronation is also the birthday of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie – the King’s grandson – who will be turning four on the day.
There is also no detail yet on who will attend the ceremony, including whether or not Prince Harry and Meghan will be invited or be able to travel from California to attend.
Coronation may be guided by what the public thinks as the Palace is aware of economic struggles
After speculation about a slimmed-down coronation, the Palace confirmed it will be an event that reflects the monarch’s role today and looks towards the future while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry.
What that means for how it all looks and feels, we’re still a bit in the dark.
So will the new monarch try to cut costs and signs of excess? I’m told that the overriding wish is that the ceremony is reflective and respectful.
2023 will not be the same as 1953 when the Queen’s coronation was held, the Palace is more than aware of the current economic struggles many are facing and they would not want to be accused of being tone deaf.
I get the impression they will be guided by what the public wants to see; if they sense we want a celebration like many enjoyed around the Platinum Jubilee, that is what they’ll aim for.
What is guaranteed is the core traditional elements but this time with a monarch who more than anything wants to show he is in touch, especially around diversity, and at the helm of an institution that’s respectful of what Britain is today.
The date was also the wedding anniversary of the late Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, while the King’s grandfather George VI held his coronation in the month of May.
The service has been held in Westminster Abbey for 900 years.
It is understood the coronation next year will include parts of the traditional service, while incorporating elements that recognise “the spirit of our times”.
Charles III will be 74 years old next May, making him the oldest person to be crowned in British history.
Two people detained during a security incident at Gatwick Airport have been allowed to continue their journeys after a suspect package saw a “large part” of the South Terminal evacuated.
The terminal was closed for hours after the discovery of a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s luggage sparked an emergency response. It reopened at around 3.45pm.
Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team “made the package safe” before handing the airport back to its operator, Sussex Police said.
Their statement continued: “Two people who were detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys.
“There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel.”
The force also thanked the public and airport staff for their patience while the incident was ongoing.
Earlier the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.
“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” it later said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
“The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”
Gatwick said some flights were cancelled while others were delayed.
It said passengers should contact their airlines for any updates on flights.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.
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“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.
“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down,” another passenger added, who said “thousands” of people were forced to leave.
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Another passenger said people near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.
People outside the airport were handed blankets and water, passengers told Sky News.
The airport said its North Terminal was still operating normally.
Gatwick Express said its trains did not call at Gatwick Airport during the police response, but the airport said trains would start calling there again once the terminal was fully reopened.
More than 600 flights were due to take off or land at Gatwick on Friday, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.
Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.
There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.
A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.
They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.
“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.
“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”
The defence review will also be published in the spring.
While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.
They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.
Two people detained during a security incident at Gatwick Airport have been allowed to continue their journeys after a suspect package saw a “large part” of the South Terminal evacuated.
The terminal was closed for hours after the discovery of a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s luggage sparked an emergency response. It reopened at around 3.45pm.
Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team “made the package safe” before handing the airport back to its operator, Sussex Police said.
Their statement continued: “Two people who were detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys.
“There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel.”
The force also thanked the public and airport staff for their patience while the incident was ongoing.
Earlier the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.
“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” it later said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
“The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”
Gatwick said some flights were cancelled while others were delayed.
It said passengers should contact their airlines for any updates on flights.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.
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“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.
“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down,” another passenger added, who said “thousands” of people were forced to leave.
X
This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable X cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
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Another passenger said people near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.
People outside the airport were handed blankets and water, passengers told Sky News.
The airport said its North Terminal was still operating normally.
Gatwick Express said its trains did not call at Gatwick Airport during the police response, but the airport said trains would start calling there again once the terminal was fully reopened.
More than 600 flights were due to take off or land at Gatwick on Friday, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.