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.
“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.
The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.
The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.
Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.
The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.
A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”
The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.
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.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.
Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.
One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.
Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.
Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.
Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.
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“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.
“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.
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“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”
Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.