Communities can celebrate the coronation of King Charles III in May with street parties and events through funding from their local authority.
Councils in London and around England are providing grants, sometimes up to £500, for the occasion to be marked locally.
Charles III and his wife Camilla will be crowned His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort on Saturday, May 6 at Westminster Abbey.
The ceremonial procedure follows the former Prince of Wales‘ accession to the throne when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died on September 8. To mark the coronation, the UK will have an extra bank holiday on Monday, May 8.
Local authorities have set aside thousands of pounds in their budget to allow streets to come together. These can pay for decorations, safety equipment, food or road closures.
Councils have said that they will assess all applications before deciding on which grants to award and you can find out more by visiting their websites. But those interested would be wise to move quickly with deadlines fast approaching.
For Bromley, one of the London councils taking part, the deadline for applications is February 20. In Tower Hamlets, the deadline has now passed.
Organisers can benefit from some training from councils on how to plan and deliver their events safely.
The Government has said that, in line with the bank holiday to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, this will be an opportunity for families and communities across the country to come together to celebrate.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “The coronation of a new monarch is a unique moment for our country. In recognition of this historic occasion, I am pleased to announce an additional bank holiday for the whole United Kingdom next year.
“I look forward to seeing people come together to celebrate and pay tribute to King Charles III by taking part in local and national events across the country in his honour.”
As specified by the BBC, a coronation is both the symbolic religious ceremony during which a sovereign is crowned and the physical act of placing a crown on a monarch’s head.
It formalises the monarch’s role as the head of the Church of England and represents the transfer of their title and powers.
However, it is not actually necessary for the monarch to be crowned to become king.
Edward VIII reigned without a coronation between January and December 1936 — and Charles automatically became King the moment the Queen died.
