As millions across the UK prepare for the coronation of King Charles III this weekend, London and Windsor are set to be filled with vibrant street parties, large crowds, and lively royal fan parades.
Flags decorate windows, grand images of His Majesty grace double-decker buses, and royal merchandise is flying off the shelves in souvenir shops. Hundreds of thousands of international visitors will also flock to central London to join the festivities.
Robin Higgins Horwitz, a 58-year-old British history enthusiast from Skokie, Illinois, has planned a trip to London for a tour of the city's royal landmarks and to witness the King's coronation. Her fascination with the royal family began after watching Prince Charles and Diana Spencer's wedding in 1981. She commented, "How many times does it happen in one's lifetime that you get to see a coronation? It's history in the making." Higgins Horwitz also mentioned watching Netflix's "The Crown" and reading Prince Harry's memoir "Spare".
Vacation rental company Airbnb reported a significant surge in searches for London accommodations during the coronation weekend. Guests from the US, France, Australia, Germany, and other parts of the UK make up the majority of visitors during this time.
The ceremonial crowning of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will occur on Saturday, May 6th at Westminster Abbey, where Charles III will become the fortieth reigning monarch crowned since 1066.
Invited guests include the Prince and Princess of Wales, their children, Princess Royal, the Duke of York, the Earl of Snowdon, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, and previous UK prime ministers. The Duke of Sussex will attend the ceremony, while Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, stays with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in California.
The King's Procession and the Sovereign's Escort of Household Cavalry will leave Buckingham Palace, pass through Admiralty Arch, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Parliament Street, and Parliament Square, before reaching Westminster Abbey at 11 am.
The Abbey's coronation will include five main elements: recognition, oath, anointing, investiture and crowning, and enthronement and homage. The King and Queen Consort will both be crowned, and the sovereign will make three statutory oaths.
The climactic moment will be the placement of the golden crown on the King's head, with gun salutes marking the new monarch's arrival. Following the crowning by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the congregation will proclaim "God save the King" and extend good health and royal blessings to King Charles III.
