King’s coronation ultimate guide: How to watch, timings, and the rest of the weekend
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
Crowds wearing rain ponchos in the grandstand opposite Buckingham Palace
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.
Pic: AP
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?
Andrew Parker Bowles arriving at Westminster Abbey
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?
Westminster Abbey floorplan, showing the Coronation Theatre
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.
Queen Elizabeth pictured after her coronation in Westminster Abbey in 1953
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.
The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is “done”, US President Donald Trump has said as he met Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit.
The US president told reporters in Canada: “We signed it, and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.”
Sir Keir said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, describing it as a “really important agreement”.
“So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength,” the prime minister added.
Mr Trump added that the UK was “very well protected” against any future tariffs, saying: “You know why? Because I like them”.
However, he did not say whether levies on British steel exports to the US would be set to 0%, saying “we’re gonna let you have that information in a little while”.
Mr Trump also praised Sir Keir as a “great” prime minister, adding: “We’ve been talking about this deal for six years, and he’s done what they haven’t been able to do.”
He added: “We’re very longtime partners and allies and friends and we’ve become friends in a short period of time.
“He’s slightly more liberal than me to put it mildly… but we get along.”
Sir Keir added that “we make it work”.
As the pair exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, Mr Trump held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters.
Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Sir Keir quickly stooped to pick them up, saying: “A very important document.”
Sir Keir Starmer picks up paper from the UK-US trade deal after Donald Trump dropped it at the G7 summit. Pic: Reuters
The US president also appeared to mistakenly refer to a “trade agreement with the European Union” at one point as he stood alongside the British prime minister.
Mr Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries in April. At the time, he announced 10% “reciprocal” rates on all UK exports – as well as separately announced 25% levies on cars and steel.
Read more:
G7 summit ‘all about the Donald’ – analysis
Scrambled G7 agenda as leaders race to de-escalate Israel-Iran conflict
In a joint televised phone call in May, Sir Keir and Mr Trump announced the UK and US had agreed on a trade deal – but added the details were being finalised.
Ahead of the G7 summit, the prime minister said he would meet Mr Trump for “one-on-one” talks, and added the agreement “really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and we’ve got to implement that”.
Whitehall officials tried to convince Michael Gove to go to court to cover up the grooming scandal in 2011, Sky News can reveal.
Dominic Cummings, who was working for Lord Gove at the time, has told Sky News that officials in the Department for Education (DfE) wanted to help efforts by Rotherham Council to stop a national newspaper from exposing the scandal.
In an interview with Sky News, Mr Cummings said that officials wanted a “total cover-up”.
Politics latest: Grooming gangs findings unveiled
The revelation shines a light on the institutional reluctance of some key officials in central government to publicly highlight the grooming gang scandal.
In 2011, Rotherham Council approached the Department for Education asking for help following inquiries by The Times. The paper’s then chief reporter, the late Andrew Norfolk, was asking about sexual abuse and trafficking of children in Rotherham.
The council went to Lord Gove’s Department for Education for help. Officials considered the request and then recommended to Lord Gove’s office that the minister back a judicial review which might, if successful, stop The Times publishing the story.
Lord Gove rejected the request on the advice of Mr Cummings. Sources have independently confirmed Mr Cummings’ account.
Education Secretary Michael Gove in 2011. Pic: PA
Mr Cummings told Sky News: “Officials came to me in the Department of Education and said: ‘There’s this Times journalist who wants to write the story about these gangs. The local authority wants to judicially review it and stop The Times publishing the story’.
“So I went to Michael Gove and said: ‘This council is trying to actually stop this and they’re going to use judicial review. You should tell the council that far from siding with the council to stop The Times you will write to the judge and hand over a whole bunch of documents and actually blow up the council’s JR (judicial review).’
“Some officials wanted a total cover-up and were on the side of the council…
“They wanted to help the local council do the cover-up and stop The Times’ reporting, but other officials, including in the DfE private office, said this is completely outrageous and we should blow it up. Gove did, the judicial review got blown up, Norfolk stories ran.”
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Grooming gangs victim speaks out
The judicial review wanted by officials would have asked a judge to decide about the lawfulness of The Times’ publication plans and the consequences that would flow from this information entering the public domain.
A second source told Sky News that the advice from officials was to side with Rotherham Council and its attempts to stop publication of details it did not want in the public domain.
One of the motivations cited for stopping publication would be to prevent the identities of abused children entering the public domain.
There was also a fear that publication could set back the existing attempts to halt the scandal, although incidents of abuse continued for many years after these cases.
Sources suggested that there is also a natural risk aversion amongst officials to publicity of this sort.
Read more on grooming gangs:
What we do and don’t know from the data
A timeline of the scandal
Mr Cummings, who ran the Vote Leave Brexit campaign and was Boris Johnson’s right-hand man in Downing Street, has long pushed for a national inquiry into grooming gangs to expose failures at the heart of government.
He said the inquiry, announced today, “will be a total s**tshow for Whitehall because it will reveal how much Whitehall worked to try and cover up the whole thing.”
He also described Mr Johnson, with whom he has a long-standing animus, as a “moron’ for saying that money spent on inquiries into historic child sexual abuse had been “spaffed up the wall”.
Asked by Sky News political correspondent Liz Bates why he had not pushed for a public inquiry himself when he worked in Number 10 in 2019-20, Mr Cummings said Brexit and then COVID had taken precedence.
“There are a million things that I wanted to do but in 2019 we were dealing with the constitutional crisis,” he said.
The Department for Education and Rotherham Council have been approached for comment.
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