The mother of all parties erupts on The Mall on the eve of Charles’s coronation
The mother of all street parties erupted on The Mall last night as royal fans entertained in the run-up to King Charles’s coronation.
Hundreds of revelers opened drinks, danced in the streets and – appropriately – sang Queen songs as the big day drew closer.
Even a lack of toilets – the public toilets close to the processional route turned out to be closed until Saturday morning – could not dampen the enthusiasm of those in attendance for more than half a day.
Bands of loyal monarchists have been camped out on The Mall for days as they try to get the best seats in the house for this morning’s procession to Westminster Abbey.
On Friday afternoon, those in attendance were in for a special treat when the King himself, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales, took a walk to thank them for their support.
Dawn Britton, from Manchester, traveled to The Mall with her daughters to get a good look at the procession
Dressed in mock royal regalia, Freddie commented: ‘What a time to be alive’
Excitement at The Mall ahead of the big day is steadily building, with people eager to see the historic event.
And last night it reached fever pitch as revelers — propelled by their drinks and the warm spring air — began partying as the sun went down.
Among those enjoying themselves was Dawn Britton, from Manchester, who had traveled down with her daughters.
She told MailOnline it was her third time camping out at The Mall for a major royal event, saying, “It’s nice to be with my daughters. This is what Britain does so well, this and queuing.’
People were filmed dancing and singing tunes by Queen as the alcohol flowed hours before Charles and Camilla will make their way to Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning.
A reveler dressed in mock royal regalia, who gave his name as Freddie, simply said, “What a time to be alive.”
Earlier in the day, a younger group of royal fans rose to secure a good spot for the procession.
The men, who are all in their early twenties, described themselves as ‘royalists’ and brought a party atmosphere with them, blasting ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials from their speakers.
One of them, who gave his name as Henry, told MailOnline: ‘I’m here because we support the king and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This is all our first coronation.’
Tonight’s festivities were dampened somewhat after it was discovered that the toilets on one side of The Mall appeared to be closed.
The Met Police confirmed to MailOnline that it had not made a request for the toilets to close, while The Royal Parks website reported that the toilets normally close at 10pm and reopen at 8am.
This group of men, all in their early twenties, described themselves as “royalists” and brought with them a party atmosphere
Since the party is expected to last well into the night, those who light the midnight oil will have to show their recovery abilities prior to the event.
The King and Queen’s procession will depart from Buckingham Palace at around 10.20am, when there is likely to be light wind and rain.
Temperatures will then rise to 17°C by noon, which is around the average for the time of year and 5°C warmer than Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
After the service at Westminster Abbey has ended, Charles and Camilla are expected to enter Buckingham Palace through the center arch at 1:33pm.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: ‘There will be showers in London from 8am, nothing too heavy, just getting a little grey, damp and drizzling.
“It won’t rain all morning, just a little drizzle now and then, it might stop for half an hour and then come back, things like that.”
“It’ll probably stay that way into the afternoon before maybe clearing up a bit, but overall it’ll stay gray most of the day.”
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will receive a salute from the army in the palace gardens at 1.45pm and the flypast, involving 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, is expected around 2.15pm.