“There’s nothing more special than the coronation,” says John Loughrey, among the first group of avid royal fans who have already arrived to camp out at the Mall ahead of King Charles’s coronation.
Thousands of people are expected to line the Mall and the areas around Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the coronation procession on Saturday, before 2,000 guests attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Loughrey, 68, from Streatham, has been a fan of the royal family since he was a child. Despite having made his name as a keen devotee of Diana, Princess of Wales – he quit his job so he could attend every court session during the inquest into her death in 2008 – Loughrey says the coronation will be the most important royal event he’s ever celebrated. “I’ve been waiting 70 years for a coronation, and that’s why the coronation is special,” he says.
He is most looking forward to seeing Charles being driven down the Mall in his golden carriage. “When the coronation carriage comes down the Mall here, and when it approaches us and we get to see Charles wearing his crown, that’s when I know I’ve seen the coronation. That’s what I’m most looking forward to,” Loughrey says. “That moment’s going to stick with me, and that’s why it’s worth camping out.”
Patrick O’Neill, who travelled from Belfast, has attended many royal events in his time, including the Jubilee and the Queen’s funeral, and says he “lives and breathes” the monarchy.
“I’m a real big royalist and I just love the royal family. It just gives me something to focus on and is something that helps me, and it’s helped my mental health,” O’Neill says. “My love for the royals started with Diana, but this moment, the coronation, will be so special and I really couldn’t miss it”.
Maria, who travelled from Newcastle upon Tyne and has been camping since Sunday, says she arrived almost a week early to ensure she had one of the best spots. “It’s going to be such a historic day, and I want to be front at the barrier to see it with my own eyes and to take it all in,” Maria says. “It’s just something I don’t want to miss. I’m most looking forward to the military bands, and it makes us proud to be British.”
Although they are not camping like the other royalists, Charmaine Skyers and her friend, Sharon McCuin, have been spending every day at the Mall in the run-up to the coronation in their camping chairs.
“We’re here because we would like to see the king and queen and the rest of the royal family, and to join the excitement,” Charmaine says. “I just love them, they mean the world to me.”
Seven thousand troops and 19 military bands will take part in the two processions on coronation day. After the Westminster Abbey service the king and queen will return in the coronation procession in the gold state coach and take a royal salute in Buckingham Palace gardens.
There will then be a royal balcony appearance, with a six-minute tri-service flypast of 60 aircraft including the Battle of Britain Memorial flight and Red Arrows.
