Today is the big day: the coronation of King Charles III, or as we like to call it, the Corrie Naish. A grand procession is gearing up to parade through town, and even if you’re not the biggest fan of the royals, it’s going to be hard to escape getting swept up in all the drama. There are coronation events galore, but if you want to see it all first hand then head into the centre of town on Saturday May 6 2023 and see history being made.
It’s going to be seriously busy, with road closures and diversions galore that’ll make getting around London during the coronation something of a struggle. Still, an event like this doesn’t come around often, so we’re inclined to be forgiving. Here’s everything that you need to know about King Charles III’s procession route.
King Charles’s procession route: everything you need to know
Hate crowds? Steer clear of central London on the day of the procession, because it’s pretty much guaranteed to be rammed. Its organisers decided not to do a ballot for tickets, and the route is pretty short, which means hardcore royalists have already camped overnight for the past two days to make sure they get a spot at the front of the viewing areas, which opened at 6am this morning. Eighty-five central London roads will be closed, so plan to use public transport to get there early in the morning for a spot. Or make life easier by opting to watch the action from the giant screens being erected in Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park.
The 1.3-mile route will begin at Buckingham Palace, taking King Charles and the Queen Consort on a royal jaunt past iconic locations such as Trafalgar Square and St. James’s Park. The procession party will be small, with 200 members including the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. The royal couple will then arrive at Westminster Abbey in time for the coronation service beginning at 11 am.
After the newly crowned King and Queen Consort wrap things up at Westminster Abbey, they’ll head back on the same route, passing Whitehall and the Pall Mall one more time, showing off their gorge new crowns to the public. This time, the procession will be way bigger, with 4,000 military personnel parading through the streets.
What time will the procession start?
King Charles III will be primed and ready to start the 1.3-mile route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey at 10.20am. The King and Queen Consort should arrive around 10.50am after half an hour of waving at the thousands of adoring fans lining the route.
What was the route of the Queen’s coronation procession?
Queen Lizzie’s procession unfolded on a rather more epic scale, treating grey postwar London to a heartening display of pomp and circumstance. Her 1953 procession began at Buckingham Palace, just as King Charles III's will, before meandering on its way to the coronation at Westminster Abbey.
But while Chazza will go straight back after the ceremony following the same route, Queen Elizabeth II took things a bit further. She was then driven in her carriage past Trafalgar Square, through to Hyde Park and round past Piccadilly Circus, then ending at Buckingham Palace – where she famously stood on the balcony, waving to the adoring hordes.
In total, Queen Elizabeth’s route was fives miles long, covering much more of the capital than King Charles’s modest 1.3-mile procession, and giving far more Londoners the chance to glimpse their monarch.
Why is King Charles’s procession route shorter than the Queen’s?
King Charles’s procession will be much shorter than the Queen’s as it will be more ‘practical’ and based on a route that is familiar to the King and Queen Consort. But it’s not all based on logistics, apparently Charles just wants a shorter and chilled-out procession that is a ‘modern’ and ‘modest’ event and to be honest, we respect that.
What coach will Charles and Camilla travel in?
The King and Queen Consort will leave Buckingham Palace in the famous diamond jubilee state coach that was built to celebrate the late Queen’s 60th Anniversary on the throne back in 2012. The coach will be drawn by six Windsor grey horses and will be accompanied by the sovereign’s Household Cavalry.
Later in the day, on their journey back from Westminster Abbey, King Charles and Queen Camilla will depart on what could quite possibly be the most fabulous carriage that any of us have ever seen – a 260-year-old golden state coach that has been used in every coronation since William IV’s way back in 1831. Now that’s fancy.
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