It's been 70 years since the UK witnessed the coronation of the longest-ruling monarch in British history — Queen Elizabeth II.
Today, millions of people in Britain and across the world will tune in to watch as her son, King Charles III, is crowned the new monarch.
Crowds are beginning to build in central London and the ceremony is just hours away.
Here's everything you need to know about the event.
What time will Charles be crowned King?
The ceremony will officially start at 11am UK time today, May 6. For Australians that will be 8pm AEST on the same day.
While the ceremony will start at 11am, proceedings – including Charles and Camilla's journey to the cathedral in a carriage – will kick off around 10:20am UK time, which is 7:20pm AEST.
How can I watch the coronation in Australia?
Live coverage and commentary will start at 5pm AEST on ABC News, with the official ceremony starting at 8pm AEST.
We're also blogging the whole event live.Will there be a public holiday in Australia?
No, sorry.
People in the UK will get a public holiday, known as a "bank holiday" on Monday, May 8.
Are Harry and Meghan going?
After months of speculation, Prince Harry confirmed he will attend his father's coronation but his wife Meghan Markle will stay at home with their two children as the coronation collides with their son's birthday.
Who else will be there?
Back in April, the royal family announced they had sent invitations to more than 2,000 people for the event.
Here's how those invitations break down:
Family
Confirmed attending from the royal family are first in line to the throne Prince William and Princess Catherine. Their three children will also be there with their eldest, Prince George, acting as one of several "pages of honour".
Joining George will be Camilla's grandchildren Gus and Louis Lopes and her great nephew Arthur Elliot.
Charles's brother, disgraced Duke of York Prince Andrew, will be in attendance, most likely alongside his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Politicians
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will be walking behind an Australian flag down Westminster Abbey as part of the pageantry surrounding the coronation.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be there with a delegation of UK politicians as well as a number of political leaders from Commonwealth countries.
Foreign royalty
A number of royal figures from abroad have confirmed their attendance, including Monaco's Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, and Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, who will be accompanied by his daughter Crown Princess Victoria.
Members of the public
Charles and Camilla invited 850 community representatives from across the UK to the coronation in reignition of their charity work.
Where is the King's coronation?
The coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey in London.
Before their arrival at Westminster Abbey, Charles and Camilla will travel in a procession from Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach — which was built in Australia for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Will Camilla be crowned Queen at the coronation?
Yes.
The coronation invites Charles sent out confirm that after the coronation, the "consort" will be dropped off Camilla's title and she will be known as Queen Camilla.
This change will take place during the ceremony when Camilla will be anointed, crowned and enthroned in a similar fashion as the King.
She will not be required to make an oath to the country.
The royal website will be updated post-coronation to reflect Camilla's change in title, with queen consort being replaced with Queen Camilla, the palace said.
How will the day unfold?
Once the royal procession arrives at Westminster Abbey, the coronation will be conducted by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Here's what you can expect to see during the ceremony.
- Arrival — The ceremony begins as attendees in the Abbey hear music selected by the King.
- Recognition and Oath — King Charles will face the Abbey as they recognise him as the new monarch with a declaration of "God save the King". Charles will then sign an oath which promises he will rule according to the law and with mercy. Charles will then sit on the 700-year-old Coronation Chair, which houses the Stone of Scone, otherwise known as "the Stone of Destiny".
- Anointing — The archbishop will pour a special oil from a gold flask known as an ampulla onto the coronation spoon before anointing Charles in a cross shape on his head, breast and hands.
- Presentation of Regalia — A number of very valuable royal pieces will be presented to the King by peers from the House of Lords, and senior bishops in the Anglican Church. They will include spurs, swords, armills (a type of bracelet), the royal orb, the Sovereign's Ring and the Sovereign's Sceptres.
- Investiture — The moment the Archbishop will place St Edward's Crown on Charles's head. After this the abbey bells will ring for two minutes, trumpets will sound and gun salutes will be fired from across the UK.
- Homage — Traditionally, this is where senior officials would bend a knee to the new King and kiss his hand. Charles has done away with the for his coronation. Prince William will be the only royal duke to kneel and pay homage to the King.
- Crowning of the Queen
- Communion — Finally, both the King and the Queen take holy communion as an act of worship of the Christian church.
Following the proceedings at the Abbey, the King and Queen will enter St Edward's Chapel where Charles will swap St Edward's Crown for the Imperial State Crown before joining the procession out of the abbey.
The King and Queen will then travel back to Buckingham Palace along the route they arrived but this time travelling in the Gold State Coach, which has been used in every coronation since 1831.
What is a coronation quiche?
The 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II wasn't just a momentous occasion for the English monarchy but for British gastronomy.
Each incoming monarch selects an official dish to help them celebrate the occasion and for Elizabeth it was coronation chicken, a curry and mayonnaise based salad that is still eaten widely across the country.
For his coronation dish, Charles and Camilla have gone a greener route with the coronation quiche.
The pastry is described on the official royal website as "a deep quiche with a crisp, light pastry case and delicate flavours of spinach, broad beans and fresh tarragon".
Whether it will be described as delicious by the British public is still in the air. But if you'd like to recreate the dish for yourself, the royal kitchen has put out a helpful video tutorial.
Which crown jewels will be included in the coronation?
A considerable amount of the royal regalia will be trotted out for the coronation, including rings, swords, bracelets and even a set of spurs.
Here's the main hardware you'll see during the coronation.
St Edward's Crown – The coronation is the first and last time this jewel-encrusted crown will touch King Charles's head as it's only used to crown the new monarch and then put away until the next coronation. Originally made for King Charles II, it's the same crown that Queen Elizabeth II used for her 1953 coronation.
The Imperial State Crown – This is the crown that will be exchanged for St Edward's Crown at the end of the coronation. The crown contains more than 2,000 diamonds including the Cullinan II diamond.
Queen Mary Crown – This is the crown Camilla has elected to wear for her coronation as Queen Consort. It's use in the May ceremony will mark the first time the crown has been used in a coronation since the 18th century.
Sovereign Sceptres – Two elaborate sceptres will be used at the coronation. The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross, which holds the huge and controversial Cullinan I diamond, and the Sovereign's Sceptre with Dove, which represents the spiritual role.
Ampulla and Coronation Spoon – You'll see these two pieces when the King and Queen Consort are anointed with chrism oil during the proceedings. The ampulla is a gold vessel cast in the form an eagle with outstretched wings.
