(London) King Charles III’s coronation weekend will be marked by a celebrity concert at Windsor Castle as well as a nationwide ‘Grand Luncheon’ following the ceremony on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, and royal processions, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.
The coronation of Charles, 74, will take place eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96.
Buckingham did not say in its statement if Harry and his wife Meghan, exiled in California, would be present.
The palace has never officially reacted to the prince’s explosive book, The Alternatein which he makes accusations against several members of the royal family, in particular his brother William and Queen consort Camilla.
The coronation ceremony will be held at Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning May 6 and will be conducted as tradition dictates by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church.
“The coronation is a solemn religious service, as well as an occasion for celebration and pageantry,” says Buckingham. The ceremony “will be forward-looking, while being steeped in tradition and long-standing pageantry.”
Charles III and his wife Camilla will arrive in Westminster from Buckingham Palace in a procession called the ‘King’s Procession’.
After the ceremony, they will return to Buckingham as part of the ‘Coronation Procession’, for which they will be joined by other members of the Royal Family.
“At Buckingham Palace, the King and Queen Consort, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, will appear on the balcony to conclude” the day.
The next day will be a concert at Windsor Castle, west London, with “international music icons and contemporary celebrities”.
A “coronation choir” will take the stage, with singers from refugee choirs, the public health service and LGBTQ+ singing groups.
Also on Sunday, the population is invited to take part in the “grand coronation lunch”, neighborhood parties to “celebrate friendship”. “Thousands of events” should take place in the streets, gardens, parks, according to the press release.
On Monday, May 8, which will be a public holiday, people will be encouraged to volunteer. The move aims to “bring people together and create a volunteer movement that will last beyond Coronation Weekend.”