Hundreds of thousands of Britons marked the coronation with street celebrations, tea parties and lunches on Sunday as the festivities continued for a second day.
Organisers of “Coronation Big Lunch” events hailed the community spirit at hundreds of events up and down the country.
Saturday’s ceremony – a mingling of solemn religious rites and royal pomp – saw King Charles become the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned in Westminster Abbey since 1066.
On Sunday, formality gave way to festivity as Britons joined together to share in a day of eating and drinking before the coronation concert in the evening.
Rishi Sunak was joined by US first lady Jill Biden at a Big Lunch in Downing Street, while the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attended an event in Cranleigh, Surrey, and Princess Anne visited Swindon.
Kate Welch, a trustee of The Old Rectory, a grade II-listed building in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland, arranged local events for thousands to enjoy.
“The whole idea, for us, is it’s about bringing the community together,” said Ms Welch, 65, from Chester-le-Street. “We are a community that is in the old coalfields area, so it’s an area where a lot of people don’t have much money.
Read our live coverage of the coronation weekend here.
“A lot of people have struggled, Covid obviously came... so just being able to come out and share together – I’ve been looking around, I can see children in pushchairs, I can see people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters.”
Judith Taylor, 69, from Brighton, started a movement in her area to help people look after and maintain their local spaces, some of which were used to host Big Lunch events.
“It’s just amazing. It is a bit of a proud moment,” she said. “In this community we all live in flats for a start, so we don’t have our own gardens.
“When you have flats you tend to have very small families, people living on their own, older people, so it’s so important for them. It is a bit of an excuse to come together, but I would say probably two-thirds of people out there are waving their union flags.”
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attended a big lunch in Cranleigh, while the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence sat down to a community street party in Swindon. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, meanwhile, attended a Big Lunch in Windsor.
Bunting-lined Downing Street was also abuzz with coronation festivities, as people arrived for a lunch with the prime minister and his wife.
There was a hum of excited chatter as guests sipped fruit drinks and took photos in front of the famous No 10 door while they awaited the arrival of Rishi Sunak.
Members of the public and organisers from a number of charities expressed their enthusiasm ahead of the event.
Lucinda Spelman-Ives, from Wilstock, who raised over £1m to fund a community hub, hoped the Big Lunch would “unify and bring everyone together”. She said it was about “being part of history, making amazing memories, laughing and meeting lots of people who have never met before”.
“Everyone is bursting with pride after yesterday’s ceremony,” she told reporters. “This will be a very special memory for us all. Long live the Big Lunches and long live the King.”
Emily Connally, who leads the Cherwell Collective in Oxford, an organisation inspiring people to live more sustainably, said she was “thrilled” to be part of the Big Lunch.
King Charles has also encouraged residents to take part in volunteer activities on Monday, which is a bank holiday. Buckingham Palace said the Big Help Out on Monday will “highlight the positive impact volunteering has on communities across the nation”.
A palace spokesperson said: “In tribute to the King’s public service, it will encourage people to try volunteering, and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas.
“The aim of the Big Help Out is to create a lasting volunteering legacy from the coronation weekend.”
The spokesperson said that, according to the latest polling, an estimated 6.5 million people say they are planning to take part in the Big Help Out, ranging from community litter picks to signing up to longer-term volunteering opportunities with a wide range of charities.
The palace said that while they are “wholly supportive” of the Big Help Out initiatives on Monday, Charles and Camilla will not be attending any of the events in person.
