The King's Coronation is almost here, with the ceremony taking place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6. It will be Britain's first coronation in seven decades, since Queen Elizabeth II's crowning in 1953.
Charles will become the oldest person in UK history to be crowned king at the age of 74. His wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, is set to become Queen at the ceremony, conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
A three-day weekend packed with celebrations has been planned, with Monday, May 8 declared a bank holiday. A Coronation Concert will take place at Windsor Castle on Sunday, May 7, with the likes of Take That and Katy Perry headlining.
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Meanwhile the royals have encouraged the public to help out in their local communities on bank holiday Monday - the second of three bank holidays this May.
Here is a look at everything we know so far about the historical weekend, including what is happening day-by-day over and how the celebrations will unfold.
Saturday May 6
6am - The big day begins early, as viewing areas open along the procession route. Westminster Abbey guests arrive at security checkpoints in Victoria Tower Gardens between 7.15am and 8.30am.
9.30am to 10.45am - Heads of state, overseas government representatives, Government ministers, first ministers, former PMs, foreign royals and members of the royal family will arrive between .
Some of those expected to be among the 2,300 guests include US first lady Jill Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron, Chinese vice-president Han Zheng, Sinn Fein’s leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and all his living predecessors are expected to be there alongside Cabinet ministers and leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer. Others expected to be in the congregation are TV presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful and singer-songwriter Lionel Richie.
10.20am - The King and Queen Consort’s procession will set off from Buckingham Palace, arriving at Westminster Abbey at 10.53am.
11am - The service will begin, lasting for two hours, with the key moment coming at midday when the King is crowned.
1.33pm - Charles and Camilla arrive back at Buckingham Palace after embarking on their coronation procession in the Gold State Coach. Charles and Camilla will receive a royal salute from the military in the palace gardens at 1.45pm.
2.15pm- The King and Queen will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, accompanied by other members of the royal family to watch a flypast.
Sunday May 7
Throughout the day - Thousands of street parties are expected to be held at the weekend, with people encouraged to come together across the country for the Coronation Big Lunch. See the full list of street parties taking place across Greater Manchester here.
A palace spokeswoman said big lunches will take place from Saturday to Monday “in a nationwide act of celebration and friendship”. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will attend a big lunch in Cranleigh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will attend a community street party in Swindon, and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will attend a big lunch in Windsor.
8pm to 10pm - Later, around 20,000 members of the public are expected to attend the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle where they will see performances by Take That, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, veteran rock guitarist Steve Winwood, and Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls.
The show, hosted by Paddington and Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville, will see Hollywood star Tom Cruise, Dynasty actress Dame Joan Collins, adventurer Bear Grylls and singer Sir Tom Jones appear via video message.
The Royal Ballet, the Royal Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal College of Music and the Royal College of Art will come together for the first time to create a one-off performance featuring Sex Education and Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa and Olivier Award nominee Mei Mac.
As part of the Coronation Concert, choreographed lasers, projections and drone displays will radiate over historic bridges and buildings. The Coronation Concert will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
Monday May 8
Throughout the day - The Big Help Out will take place on bank holiday Monday, with the aim of inspiring and recruiting a new generation of volunteers by showing how easy it is to get involved. Buckingham Palace said the Big Help Out will “highlight the positive impact volunteering has on communities across the nation”.
Edward and Sophie will take part in a puppy class at the Guide Dogs training centre in Reading, while Anne and Sir Tim will attend a civic service recognising local volunteers at Gloucester Cathedral. The service will be followed by a short reception for invited volunteers and representatives of voluntary organisations from across Gloucestershire.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will meet young volunteers from the Coptic Orthodox Church at a coronation party at St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Kensington. The palace 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 “wholly supportive” of the Big Help Out initiatives on Monday, Charles and Camilla will not be attending any of the events in person.
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