Buckingham Palace reveals the route for the King’s Coronation procession
When King Charles leaves Buckingham Palace on a Saturday morning next month, he will follow in the footsteps of his mother and generations of British royalty.
His Majesty, accompanied by Queen Camilla, will travel to Westminster Abbey where he will be formally crowned in front of hundreds in the church, and millions watching from homes across the UK and around the world.
With its pomp and circumstance, the coronation will draw thousands into the streets as they try to catch a glimpse of His Majesty on the big day, either on their way to the abbey or back to the palace.
It will provide a touching link to Charles’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, who undertook a similar procession when she was crowned 70 years ago in 1953.
There will be some significant changes, however, with officials revealing the route today, along with details of the carriages and events following the service.
Buckingham Palace today announced details of the coronation procession carriages and the routes Their Majesties will take to and from Westminster Abbey, as well as post-service events – and even the new coronation emoji.
Buckingham Palace today announced details of the coronation procession carriages and the routes Their Majesties will take to and from Westminster Abbey, as well as post-service events
THE EXCEPTIONAL PROCESSION
THE COACH
Their Majesties travel from Buckingham Palace in the King’s Procession to Westminster Abbey in the magnificent Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
Created to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, it offers a touching bond between mother and son.
While Queen Elizabeth used the Gold State Coach on both legs of her 1953 trip — and later said in an interview that it was “terrible” and “not very comfortable” — Buckingham Palace says the King and Queen chose different coaches to their lesser arrival and grander departing processions.
The elaborate state carriage at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953
Made in 2014, the Australian-built, horse-drawn Diamond State Coach has shock absorbers for a more comfortable ride, as well as air conditioning and interior lighting.
It is decorated on the roof with a gilded crown made of wood taken from Admiral Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory and inside is a fragment of Florence Nightingale’s dress.
The primrose silk lined interior is also inlaid with wood samples, metals and other materials from places with specific links to Britain and its history, such as Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey, as well as historic ships such as the Mary Rose.
The carriage is pulled by six Windsor Gray horses.
Sally Goodsir, curator of the Royal Collection, said: ‘It’s a real microcosm of British and world history.’
THE ROUTE
For ‘practical reasons’, the King’s procession will take a significantly shorter route than that of his mother in 1953.
Accompanied by the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, it will leave Buckingham Palace through the Center Gate and continue through The Mall, past Admiralty Arch and down the south side of Trafalgar Square.
It continues through Whitehall and along Parliament Street, before traveling along the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary.
Their Majesties’ bus arrives at Westminster Abbey Shrine, where the coronation service begins at 11am.
THE INWARD PROCESSION
THE COACH
The newly crowned couple leave Westminster Abbey in the 253-year-old Gold State Carriage, which is only allowed to carry a sovereign and their consort.
Unlike the full-featured Diamond State Coach, the age-old design has only basic suspension made up of leather straps, making for an incredibly bumpy ride.
The carriage, created in 1762 and first used by George III, is huge: it measures 3.5 meters long, 7 meters long and weighs a whopping four tons.
Because of its size, it can only move at a walking pace, adding to the majesty and stateliness of any great royal procession, and it takes eight horses to pull it.
On the carriage are carved and gilded figures of Tritons, announcing the arrival of the Sovereign. Historically, it was used relatively regularly for state openings of parliaments in the 18th and 19th centuries.
But in recent years there have been very few opportunities to use it.
It was wheeled out for last year’s Platinum Jubilee, but had an image of the young Queen Elizabeth projected into it at her coronation.
Revealed… a very regal emoji
An emoji has been revealed to mark the coronation.
Based on St Edward’s Crown, it will appear on Twitter starting today when using specific hashtags on the social media platform such as #Coronation #CoronationConcert #CoronationBigLunch and #TheBigHelpOut.
The Platinum Jubilee emoji was a crown-wearing corgi named PJ.
Coach restorer Martin Oates, 57, works as a brakeman on the Gold State Carriage, a role he took on from his father. His grandfather also worked in the Royal Mews.
The massive carriage can only leave its home by removing a removable wall and window from the Royal Mews and needs 20 personnel to push it. Mr Oates compared the two carriages and said: ‘The Diamond Jubilee State Coach has shock absorbers and is very similar to a car. It is suspended by leather straps – if you follow it, you will hear it creak. It’s like an old galleon.
Matthew Powers, 35, the King’s head coachman, will drive postillion and will be responsible for security on Coronation Day.
He said, “It’s quite a bit of work. We are here to make sure the king gets there and returns safely.
“Having eight horses in front is unpredictable, it only takes one horse to mess around and the whole dynamic changes.
“We use older, more sensible horses…they’ve had ceremonial training.”
THE ROUTE
The procession back to Buckingham Palace takes the same route in reverse, but is much larger and allows Their Majesties to interact more with the crowd.
It will include forces from across the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories, as well as all services of the United Kingdom, as well as the Sovereign’s Bodyguards and Royal Watermen.
On the return of the King and Queen to Buckingham Palace, they will receive a royal salute from the UK and Commonwealth Armed Forces, who will have been in parade that day from the west terrace of Buckingham Palace’s garden.
The royal salute is followed by three cheers from the assembled military personnel in tribute from the armed forces.