The coronation of King Charles III dominates UK front pages on Saturday. Headlines across the major papers swing between adulation and scepticism as the country counts down to the event.
The Guardian leads on the aftermath of the local elections, with the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, under pressure after a “Crushing result for the Tories”, but elsewhere the front page promises a guide to the ceremony, as well as comment from Marina Hyde.
The paper is also publishing a 20-page coronation supplement, under the headline “Long may he reign over us?”
Guardian front page, Saturday 6 May 2023: Crushing result for Tories pic.twitter.com/kh706woOJ0
— The Guardian (@guardian) May 5, 2023
Not to be outdone, the Telegraph is promising an 84-page supplement. Under the headline “I come not to be served but to serve”, the paper’s royal editor outlines the lavish detail of the ceremony, while reporting that Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is expected to be in the UK for just “24 hours before returning to the US”.
👑 The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 5, 2023
I come not to be served but to serve#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4OoUh6 pic.twitter.com/unhfGDNr6J
The Times calls it the “King’s day of destiny”. The paper reports that Charles “has spent years planning every detail of his coronation” and that the event will be “the biggest military ceremonial operation since the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965”.
Saturday's Times: King's day of destiny #TomorrowsPapersToday #TheTimes #Times pic.twitter.com/dqHNUmnLvD
— Tomorrows Papers Today (@TmorrowsPapers) May 5, 2023
The Mail carries an almost identical headline with “His day of destiny”, above a full page image of Charles, aged 20, at his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969.
Saturday's @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/dMpPtog7pu
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) May 5, 2023
Under the headline “Charlie is my darling”, Scotland’s Daily Record reports that “Hundreds of Scots have flocked to London”, joining about 1.2 million others “hoping for a glimpse of history”.
Tomorrow's Daily Record leads on hundreds of Scots flocking to London to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III #tomorrowspaperstoday @AllieHBNews pic.twitter.com/OUOWgIpImV
— The Daily Record (@Daily_Record) May 5, 2023
Above a full-page image of the crown, the Mirror writes: “He will not only wear the crown, he will bear the weight of history… and the hopes of a nation.”
Saturday's front page: He will not only wear the crown, he will bear the weight of its history... and the hopes of a nation#TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/i2ARhm2lDR pic.twitter.com/cXnyvqYiN0
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) May 5, 2023
The weight of that responsibility is outlined in the i: “Charles III in battle to secure future of monarchy”. Polling for the paper shows that most of the UK public still backs the monarchy, “but one in four has become less supportive under Charles”.
Weekend i: Charles III in battle to secure future of monarchy #TomorrowsPapersToday #iWeekend #iNewspaper pic.twitter.com/VbZvalH3Du
— Tomorrows Papers Today (@TmorrowsPapers) May 5, 2023
Finally, the Sun chooses to commemorate the day with pictures of King Charles’s and Queen Camilla’s crowns, under the headline “His & hers”.
On tomorrow's front page: The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla pic.twitter.com/2IOy4c045q
— The Sun (@TheSun) May 5, 2023
