Almost 4,000 Armed Forces veterans and NHS workers have been invited to watch the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort from special viewing spaces.
Around 3,800 seats have been offered in a specially-built grandstand in front of Buckingham Palace which will host veterans, NHS and social care workers, and representatives of charitable organisations with links to The Royal Family. Additionally 354 uniformed cadet forces will be offered the opportunity to watch the Procession at Admiralty Arch.
These invited guests will be given a special view of the Coronation on Saturday 6 May including the Processions, appearance of The Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace Balcony and the spectacular Armed Forces fly past. Guests will see Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach drawn by six Windsor Grey horses, accompanied by The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. The King and The Queen Consort will travel back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.
The King’s Procession will travel along The Mall, through Admiralty Arch, along the south side of King Charles Island in Trafalgar Square, before going down Whitehall through the east and south side of Parliament Square to Westminster Abbey.
The rest of the route for the Procession on Saturday 6 May is non-ticketed and open to the public on a first-come first-served basis. It is expected that tens of thousands of people will come to watch the Coronation processions in London. Guidance published today by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport outlines how and where the public can watch the Coronation in London, including at dedicated screen sites in London’s Royal Parks.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:
As a mark of the nation’s profound gratitude, it is right that in celebrating the Coronation we include and champion those who have dedicated their lives to public service.
The Coronation weekend marks the beginning of a new chapter in our national history and I’m delighted the procession will be lined by people and groups who contribute so much to our national life.
Philippa Rawlinson, Director of Remembrance at the Royal British Legion said:
We are pleased to have given 1,000 members of the Armed Forces community the special opportunity to witness part of the ceremonial procession for the coronation of King Charles III at the Queen Victoria Memorial. The Armed Forces hold great importance to the nation as they work to protect us, our freedoms and our society’s way of life. We know that it will be a great privilege for members of the Armed Forces community to see their new Commander in Chief on this significant day.
Big screens will be put in place in Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park offering thousands of members of the public the chance to watch the Coronation on Saturday 6 May. Screens in St James’s Park will also show the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday 7 May.
Details on accessible access for the route and screening sites in London have also been released today. An accessible viewing space for the Coronation will be available along the North side of The Mall and at all screen sites in London. Accessible viewing spaces for the people watching the concert on the big screen at St James’s Park are also available.
The viewing spaces will include first aid and mental health first aid facilities, water refill stations, toilets and accessible toilets, welfare points, and concession kiosks selling food and drinks. Accessible viewing spaces will be at ground level providing a dedicated location for wheelchair users, people with reduced mobility and other accessibility requirements. Hearing loops for use by people with hearing aids and British Sign Language interpreters will be present alongside accessible toilets and changing facilities.
London is expected to be busy across the Coronation weekend with the public urged to plan ahead and take notice of updated travel guidance. Across the UK, more than 57 locations will be putting up big screens meaning that more than 100,000 people will be able to watch the event in their hometowns.
