King’s coronation ultimate guide: How to watch, timings, and the rest of the weekend

Published

2 years ago

May 6, 2023

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The King has been crowned, but celebrations will take place all weekend – including a concert and nationwide lunches.

Here’s an ultimate guide to the coronation weekend.

The ceremony

The coronation ceremony of the King – and his wife, Queen Camilla – is taking place at Westminster Abbey.

Royals, celebrities and foreign dignitaries arrived for the momentous event.

There were big hats, fabulous outfits, lots of crowds and lots of rain.

Here’s what you might have missed:

The procession route

The King and Queen Consort took a 1.3-mile route to the ceremony.

They travelled down The Mall via Admiralty Arch, took the south side of Trafalgar Square, went along Whitehall and Parliament Street, took the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary, before arriving at the abbey.

The Queen took a much longer route after her coronation, travelling five miles through Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Pall Mall, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, and finally down the Mall to end at Buckingham Palace.

The new King and Queen used the Diamond Jubilee State Coach on their way to the ceremony. For the way back, the 260-year-old Gold State Coach was chosen.

More details of the coronation procession route here.

Spectators got wet

Viewing spots along the procession route were in high demand – particularly as the royals took a shorter journey than the late Queen in 1953.

Outside Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace as well as along The Mall, the Horse Guards Parade and Parliament Square were all prime spots, with royal fans pitched up and getting soaking wet.

Will there be a flypast?

More than 60 aircraft are expected to soar over London – but bad weather may mean it won’t go ahead.

If it does go ahead, you can expect to see it over Buckingham Palace at 2.30pm.

If you’re not planning on being in the capital for the coronation, there are still places you can catch the display.

Here’s everything you need to know about where to see the flypast – if it happens.

And the balcony moment?

Well, the mystery remains over which members of the Royal Family will appear on the balcony.

The King and Queen would usually be expected on the famous balustrade, accompanied by other family members, to end the day.

Speculation has been rife as to why the Palace has not yet announced who will be up there.

Some claim it could be a ploy to eschew newspaper headlines indicating Prince Harry has been “banned” from the balcony.

While an official announcement has not been made, it has been confirmed that neither Prince Harry nor Prince Andrew will have any formal role in the ceremony in the Abbey, which can only offer a significant hint.

But royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Sky News that there is often “no rush” for the palace to make such announcements, and believes they still will.

“Announcements are fed to keep a sense of drama… and it succeeds.

“This is a solemn day but also theatre; 200 countries are represented, and the world will be tuning in.”

You can read more about that here.

How to watch all the coronation events on TV

In a milestone for TV broadcasting, Sky customers can watch the King and Queen crowned in the clarity of Ultra HD, for free on Sky News channel 501 and on Sky Showcase channel 106 (7am-3pm).

The Ultra HD broadcast will be available to those watching on Sky Glass or Sky Q via the red button. Non-Sky customers can watch UHD coverage on the Sky News YouTube channel with a compatible TV.

Coverage will also be available to watch for free on Freeview channel 233, Virgin channel 603, BT channel 313, Saorview channel 23.

Ad breaks will be removed between 9am-3pm on the Saturday Sky News to ensure uninterrupted coverage of the main event on 6 May.

You can also watch multiple live streams on the Sky News website, app and on our YouTube channel.

Joanna Lumley will join Sky News presenters for coverage.

The Absolutely Fabulous actress, who provided commentary for Sky News for the Queen’s Jubilee last year, will attend the service at Westminster Abbey in May as a guest of Charles and Camilla.

Dame Joanna, 76, will then be joining the broadcaster’s coronation line-up, which includes royal events commentator Alastair Bruce and presenters Kay Burley and Anna Botting.

Every aspect of the big day will be televised, from royal fans gathering in the streets to the ceremony and processions.

Where can I watch it on a big screen?

The government has provided funding for big screens at more than 60 locations across the UK.

Parks, town squares and libraries will all be transformed into coronation viewing venues.

You can find every big screen showing the coronation in this list.

When is the bank holiday?

The Monday after the coronation – 8 May 2023 – will be a bank holiday for all of the UK.

The day has been set aside for volunteering and is being billed as “The Big Help Out”, with people encouraged to pitch in with projects in their local communities.

Will the pubs be open later?

Pubs will be allowed to stay open until 1am for the weekend.

People will be able to enjoy an “extra pint or two” between Friday 5 May and Sunday 7 May, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said.

Extending closing time for two hours beyond the normal 11pm was backed by 77% of the public who took part in a month-long consultation.

Who was at the coronation – was Harry there?

Prince Harry was at the coronation, while Meghan stayed in California with their children.

Westminster Abbey’s 2,200 seats were filled with members of the Royal Family, the prime minister, representatives from the Houses of Parliament, heads of state, other royals from around the world and people with links to the royal couple or the charities they support.

Ant and Dec, Lionel Richie, Stereophonics singer Kelly Jones, Vogue’s UK editor Edward Enninful and the magician Dynamo were among the famous faces at Westminster Abbey.

They were on the guest list because of their connection with the Prince’s Trust.

More than 850 community and charity representatives were also invited, including the “boy in the tent”, who raised more than £750,000 for North Devon Hospice by camping in his garden for three years.

Invitees received an invitation that was handwritten by calligraphers from London Scribes Calligraphers, using traditional italic dip pens and bespoke mixed inks.

Veterans and NHS workers were front row in 3,800 seats in a specially built grandstand in front of Buckingham Palace.

Will Queen Camilla’s ex-husband be there?

Yes. Andrew Parker Bowles was there to watch the crowning of the new King and Queen.

He was also present at their wedding in 2005.

Here’s more about Andrew and the Parker Bowles family.

What’s in the ceremony?

Like every coronation in the last 900 years, the ceremony for the King takes place Westminster Abbey, where the Queen’s funeral was held in September and where the Prince and Princess of Wales married in 2011.

The service is conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a position currently held by Justin Welby. The Archbishop of Canterbury has presided over almost every coronation since the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The Earl Marshal – the Duke of Norfolk – is in overall charge of the coronation.

He is Oxford-educated father-of-five Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 67, and was responsible for organising Elizabeth II’s funeral, as well as the Accession and State Openings of Parliament.

He was banned from driving for six months in September for using his mobile phone behind the wheel despite claiming he needed his licence to arrange the upcoming coronation.

This is the order of service here.

Why will Camilla also be crowned?

According to the Royal Family’s website: “A Queen Consort is crowned with the King, in a similar, but simpler ceremony.”

The last Queen Consort to be crowned was the Queen Mother alongside King George VI in 1937.

Find out more about why Camilla will also be crowned here.

What happens during a coronation?

There are six basic phases to the coronation: the recognition, the oath, the anointing, the investiture (which includes the crowning), the enthronement and the homage.

During the ceremony, the King will swear to uphold the law and the Church of England, be anointed with holy oil, receive the Royal Orb and sceptres and be crowned with the solid gold St Edward’s Crown. Read more about the crowning ceremony here.

Buckingham Palace has announced the dukes, bishops, peers and retired generals who are set to take on ceremonial duties during the coronation.

More than 50 people, including representatives from orders of chivalry, the military and wider public life, have been chosen to take part in the historic event, and were selected because of their “significant service”, the Palace said.

Among them are TV presenter Floella Benjamin, former MI5 chief Baroness Elizabeth Manningham-Buller and Lincolnshire farmer Francis Dymoke.

Mr Dymoke, as he is the owner of the Scrivelsby country estate, will be the King’s champion and carry the Royal Standard.

The order of procession into Westminster Abbey has also been revealed, with faith leaders and representatives going first followed by governors-general, prime ministers and flag bearers from each of the 15 realms where the King is head of state.

Ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, the UK’s flag bearer will be Cadet Warrant Officer Elliott Tyson-Lee.

The King and Queen Consort’s procession will follow, led by the Marquess of Anglesey, the Duke of Westminster, the Earl of Caledon and the Earl of Dundee, who will carry the Standards of the Quarterings of the Royal Arms and the Standard of the Principality of Wales.

What else will happen over the coronation weekend?

Sunday 7 May

Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle
Lighting up the Nation – locations across the UK will be lit up using projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations.
Coronation Big Lunches – people will be invited to get together with their neighbourhood or community for a shared lunch, cup of tea or street party.

Monday 8 May

The Big Help Out – will encourage people to try volunteering in their local area.

Tell me more about the concert

The coronation concert will see music stars descend on Windsor Castle, with Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on the line-up.

It will also feature “the coronation choir”, a diverse group of community choirs and amateur singers from across the UK, including refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf signing choirs.

The audience will be made up of 10,000 people drawn from a ticket ballot, along with volunteers from charities affiliated to the King and Queen.

More information about the concert here.

How can I host a coronation street party?

There’s no better excuse to close off the street and string out the bunting than a major royal celebration, and the coronation is no exception.

If they’re small and just for residents, street parties don’t need a licence.

Coronation celebrations can be found and added to the official interactive map.

How will it be different to the Queen’s coronation in 1953?

While the 1953 coronation was three hours long and had 8,000 guests in attendance, the ceremony for the King is expected to be shorter and smaller in scope.

The Queen’s coronation was the first to be televised and was credited with bringing TV into the mainstream.

More than 20 million people watched the service on television, many crowded around neighbours’ screens, outnumbering the radio audience for the first time.

To stay up-to-date with the coronation – including details like timings of the day, news, features and analysis – bookmark our special coronation page for all the latest: skynews.com/coronation.

UK

Man, 76, charged after children fell ill at summer camp

Published

7 hours ago

August 1, 2025

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Man, 76, charged after children fell ill at summer camp

A 76-year-old man has been charged with child cruelty offences after youngsters fell ill at a summer camp.

Jonathon Ruben is accused of three offences of “wilful ill treatment of a child” relating to three boys.

Police received a report of children feeling unwell at a camp being held at Stathern Lodge, near Melton in Leicestershire, on Sunday.

Officers said paramedics attended the scene and eight boys – aged between eight and 11 – were taken to hospital as a precaution, as was an adult. They have since been discharged.

Ruben will appear at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.

A statement from Janine McKinney, chief crown prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the prosecution of a 76-year-old man with child cruelty offences following a police investigation into a summer camp held at Stathern Lodge, Leicestershire.

“This decision has been made after reviewing a file of evidence from Leicestershire Police.

“Jonathon Ruben, will be charged with three offences of wilful ill-treatment of a child relating to three boys. He will appear at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 1 August.

“This has been an extremely upsetting and shocking moment for the community, and especially for the children and parents most directly affected.”

Leicestershire Police said the owners and operators of Stathern Lodge are separate from the people who use or hire the venue, and are not connected to the incident.

It added in a statement: “This is an active criminal investigation and we ask that people do not speculate further about the incident, particularly on social media platforms.

“Leicestershire Police continues to work closely with partners ensuring that full safeguarding is provided to all those affected.”

The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over its handling of the incident.

UK

What is the car finance scandal – and what could today’s ruling mean for motorists?

Published

22 hours ago

August 1, 2025

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What is the car finance scandal - and what could today's ruling mean for motorists?

The UK’s Supreme Court is set to deliver a landmark ruling today that could have billion-pound consequences for banks and impact millions of motorists.

The essential question that the country’s top court has been asked to answer is this: should customers be fully informed about the commission dealers earn on their purchase?

However, the Supreme Court is only considering one of two cases running in parallel regarding the mis-selling of car finance.

Here is everything you need to know about both cases, and how the ruling this afternoon may (or may not) affect any future compensation scheme.

What is the Supreme Court considering?

The Supreme Court case concerns complaints related to the non-disclosure of commission. This applies to 99% of car finance cases.

When you buy a car on finance, you are effectively loaned the money, which you pay off in monthly instalments. These loans carry interest, organised by the brokers (the people who sell you the finance plan).

These brokers earn money in the form of a commission (which is a percentage of the interest payments).

Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of three motorists who were not informed that the car dealerships they agreed finance deals with were also being paid 25% commission, which was then added to their bills.

The ruling said it was unlawful for the car dealers to receive a commission from lenders without obtaining the customer’s informed consent to the payment.

However, British lender Close Brothers and South Africa’s FirstRand appealed the decision, landing it in the Supreme Court.

What does the second case involve?

The second case is being driven by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and involves discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs).

Under these arrangements, brokers and dealers increased the amount of interest they earned without telling buyers and received more commission for it. This is said to have incentivised sellers to maximise interest rates.

The FCA banned this practice in 2021. However, a high number of consumers have complained they were overcharged before the ban came into force. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) said in May that they were dealing with 20,000 complaints.

In January 2024, the FCA announced a review into whether motor finance customers had been overcharged because of past use of DCAs. It is using its powers to review historical motor finance commission arrangements across multiple firms – all of whom deny acting inappropriately.

The FCA also said it is looking into a “consumer redress scheme” that means firms would need to offer appropriate compensation to customers affected by the issue.

An estimated 40% of car finance deals are likely to be eligible for compensation over motor finance deals taken out between 2007 and 2021, when the DCAs were banned.

To find out how you can tell if you’ve been mis-sold car finance, read the following explainer from our reporter Megan Harwood-Baynes.

How does the ruling affect potential compensation?

In short, the Supreme Court ruling could impact the scale and reach that a compensation scheme is likely to have.

The FCA said in March that it will consider the court’s decision and if it concludes motor finance customers have lost out from widespread failings by firms, it is “likely [to] consult on an industry-wide redress scheme”.

This would mean affected individuals wouldn’t need to complain, but they would be paid out an amount dictated by the FCA.

However, no matter what the court decides, the FCA could go ahead with a redress scheme.

The regulator said it will confirm if it is proposing a scheme within six weeks of the Supreme Court’s decision.

What impact could this have on lenders?

Analysts at HSBC said last year the controversy could be estimated to cost up to £44bn.

Alongside Close Brothers, firms that could be affected include Barclays, Santander and the UK’s largest motor finance provider Lloyds Banking Group – which organises loans through its Black Horse finance arm.

Lloyds has already set aside £1.2bn to be used for potential compensation.

The potential impact on the lending market and the wider economy could be so great that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering intervening to overrule the Supreme Court, according to The Guardian.

Treasury officials have been looking at the potential of passing new legislation alongside the Department for Business and Trade that could slash the potential compensation bill.

The Treasury said in response to the claim that it does not “comment on speculation” but hopes to see a “balanced judgment”.

UK

Full details of Heathrow’s plans for a third runway revealed

Published

23 hours ago

August 1, 2025

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Full details of Heathrow's plans for a third runway revealed

Heathrow Airport has said it can build a third runway for £21bn within the next decade.

Europe’s busiest travel hub has submitted its plans to the government – with opponents raising concerns about carbon emissions, noise pollution and environmental impacts.

The west London airport wants permission to create a 3,500m (11,400ft) runway, but insists it is open to considering a shorter one instead.

In January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the government supports a “badly needed” expansion to connect the UK to the world and open up new growth opportunities.

But London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is still against a new runway because of “the severe impact” it will have on the capital’s residents.

Under Heathrow’s proposal, the runway would be constructed to the northwest of its existing location – allowing for an additional 276,000 flights per year.

The airport also wants to create new terminal capacity for 150 million annual passengers – up from 84 million – with plans involving a new terminal complex named T5XW and T5XN.

Terminal 2 would be extended, while Terminal 3 and the old Terminal 1 would be demolished.

The runway would be privately funded, with the total plan costing about £49bn, but some airlines have expressed concern that the airport will hike its passenger charges to pay for the project.

EasyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis said an expansion would “represent a unique opportunity for easyJet to operate from the airport at scale for the first time and bring with it lower fares for consumers”.

Thomas Woldbye, the airport’s chief executive, said in a statement that “it has never been more important or urgent to expand Heathrow”.

“We are effectively operating at capacity to the detriment of trade and connectivity,” he added.

“With a green light from government and the correct policy support underpinned by a fit-for-purpose, regulatory model, we are ready to mobilise and start investing this year in our supply chain across the country.

“We are uniquely placed to do this for the country. It is time to clear the way for take-off.”

The M25 motorway would need to be moved into a tunnel under the new runway under the airport’s proposal.

London mayor still opposed

Sir Sadiq says City Hall will “carefully scrutinise” the proposals, adding: “I’ll be keeping all options on the table in how we respond.”

Tony Bosworth, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, also said that if Sir Keir Starmer wants to be “seen as a climate leader”, then backing Heathrow expansion is “the wrong move”.

Earlier this year, Longford resident Christian Hughes told Sky News that his village and others nearby would be “decimated” if an expansion were to go ahead.

It comes after hotel tycoon Surinder Arora published a rival Heathrow expansion plan, which involves a shorter runway to avoid the need to divert the M25 motorway.

The billionaire’s Arora Group said a 2,800m (9,200ft) runway would result in “reduced risk” and avoid “spiralling cost”.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will consider all plans over the summer so that a review of the Airports National Policy Statement can begin later this year.

It also comes after Sky News reported on a Heathrow Airport-funded group sending leaflets supporting a third runway to thousands of homes across west London.

The group, called Back Heathrow, sent leaflets to people living near the airport, claiming expansion could be the route to a “greener” airport and suggesting it would mean only the “cleanest and quietest aircraft” fly there.

Opponents of the airport’s expansion said the information provided by the group is “incredibly misleading”.

Back Heathrow told Sky News it had “always been open” about the support it receives from the airport. The funding is not disclosed on Back Heathrow’s newsletter or website.