Matildas star Sam Kerr has been announced as Australia's flag-bearer for the coronation of King Charles III, leading a contingent of Australian representatives as part of the pageantry surrounding next week's ceremony.
One of the world's greatest women's football players, Kerr will hold the nation's flag while leading a group of Australians down Westminster Abbey, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley, a statement from Mr Albanese's office said on Friday.
The coronation — a ceremony full of pageantry and religious significance — will take place on May 6 and will mark the start of King Charles III becoming monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms.
Buckingham Palace has announced a list of the ceremonial roles, with Mr Albanese and General Hurley taking on a prominent role in front of the 2,000 guests inside Westminster Abbey.
Despite being a republican — and supporting the replacement of Australia's constitutional monarchy — Mr Albanese will be part of one of the first groups in the procession to enter Westminster Abbey, right behind the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and other religious leaders and representatives.
Mr Albanese and Mr Hurley will not be the only Australian residents to take part in the coronation ceremony either, as Simon Abney-Hastings, the 15th Earl of Loudoun, will also be in the procession.
The Wangaratta resident has been tasked with carrying the Golden Spurs, one of the important regalia symbols.
First included at the coronation of Richard I (the Lionheart) in 1189, the Golden Spurs were traditionally awarded to knights who had demonstrated exceptional bravery in battle.
Bearing the flag ahead of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Mrs Akshata Murty will be Cadet Warrant Officer Elliott Tyson-Lee.
"It is a great and incredible honour to be a part of their Majesties’ Coronation Service as a representative of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets," the cadet officer said.
During Mr Albanese's visit to the UK he will also meet with Mr Sunak to discuss the AUKUS alliance as well as the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement.
Mr Albanese will also visit the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard where the first British SSN-AUKUS submarine will be built.
Australian-built coach will take King Charles to ceremony
King Charles and Camilla will be taken from Buckingham Palace to the ceremony in Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was built to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's 60th year on the throne.
WJ Frecklington had completed the build Sydney in 2010 and it was first used in 2014, at the time making it only the second royal carriage constructed in a century.
The carriage — which has an air-conditioned interior — consists of number of expensive and symbolic components, including New Zealand-made doorhandles with diamonds and sapphires, fragments of Sir Isaac Newton's apple tree and wood from the door on 10 Downing Street.
