Photo by Cpl Rob Kane MOD © Crown copyright 2022
With less than a month to go until the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, we are learning new details of the procession set to follow the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
The procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace will be much larger in scale than when The King and Queen make their way to The Abbey to be crowned. However, it will cover the same route as the King’s Procession to the Coronation.
The carriages will leave Westminster Abbey and process across the east and south sides of Parliament Square. The procession will also travel along Parliament Street and Whitehall and through Admiralty before conveying the Royal Family along the Mall.
The procession will include Armed Forces from across the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories as well as all Services of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. The Royal Watermen and The Sovereign’s Bodyguard will also have a presence during the procession.
Their Majesties will leave The Abbey in the Gold State Coach. Many might remember its last public appearance during the Pageant of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022. Originally commissioned in 1760, the coach was first used by King George III to travel to the State Opening of Parliament in 1762. Beginning with the Coronation of William IV in 1831, the coach has been used at every coronation since. Drawn by eight Windsor Greys, the coach will travel at a walking pace as it weighs four tonnes. This will give everyone lining the streets a chance to wave to Their Majesties and take in the special moment.
At the Palace, Their Majesties will receive a Royal Salute from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Armed Forces who had been in the procession that day. The Royal Salute will be followed by three cheers from the assembled service personnel. A tribute from the Armed Forces on Parade is also planned.
The ceremony at Westminster Abbey is scheduled to take place at 11 o’clock. At Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation, the service lasted nearly three hours. Depending on how fast the ceremony and procession go, it is likely we can expect a balcony appearance sometime in the late afternoon.
