Charles III’s coronation was watched by more than 14 million viewers on BBC channels, a figure suggesting a far lower overall audience than his mother Elizabeth II’s coronation or funeral.
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On average, 13.4 million viewers – out of a population of 67 million, comparable to France – watched the two main British public broadcasting channels for the event.
That number soared to more than 14 million by the time the crown was laid on the 74-year-old king’s head, the BBC’s press service said.
The other channels did not provide their data, but the BBC accounts for a large part of the audience for this type of event.
For the funeral of Elizabeth II last September, the average audience had been more than 26 million viewers with a peak of 28 million viewers, including 18.5 million on the BBC.
Her coronation in 1953 — the first on TV — was attended by 27 million people in the UK, according to Buckingham Palace, and Princess Diana’s funeral by 32 million.
The coronation of Charles was prepared without much enthusiasm, the polls showing limited interest in a context of galloping inflation and while for a year the British have already marked the 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II last June then her funeral in September.
In France, the ceremony was watched by nearly nine million viewers on average who broadcast it live, according to Médiamétrie data on Sunday.