London
CNN
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Buckingham Palace on Saturday revealed details of King Charles III’s coronation, which is expected to be less extravagant than his mother’s ceremony 70 years ago, reflecting the cost of living crisis facing many Britons.
Three days of celebrations will take place, with the coronation on Saturday May 6, a “Coronation Big Lunch” and a “Coronation Concert” the following day, and an additional holiday on Monday. The public will be invited on the final day to join “The Big Help Out” by volunteering in their communities.
The coronation itself will be “a solemn religious service, as well as an occasion for celebration and pageantry”, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the palace said.
It, the palace reiterated, “will reflect the role of the monarch today and look to the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”.
This line of the palace has been interpreted by experts as a hint that Charles’ coronation will be different and more subdued than what his late mother experienced seven decades ago, with a shorter ceremony and changes to some of the feudal elements. of the ritual. Queen Elizabeth’s coronation was the first live televised royal event and lasted three hours.
Charles and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, will arrive at Westminster Abbey in a procession from Buckingham Palace, known as ‘The King’s Procession’, and return later in a larger ceremonial procession, known as the name of “the coronation procession”, accompanied by other members. of the royal family.
The King and Queen Consort, alongside members of the Royal Family, will then appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wrap up the day’s events.
At this stage, the palace has not specified which family members will appear in the procession and on the balcony, following Prince Andrew’s continued exile from public life following allegations of sexual abuse. historical and the publication of the memoirs of Prince Harry who rebelled against his family.
“It would help Charles a lot in terms of his image if Harry and Meghan were there,” royal historian Kate Williams previously told CNN. “It’s going to look particularly bad for him if his son isn’t around because, of course, Harry is still very high on the throne, as are his children.”
The following day, May 7, thousands of events are set to take place across the country as part of the ‘Coronation Big Lunch’, as as-yet-unknown ‘global music icons and contemporary stars’ gather for a “Coronation Concert” held on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle, the palace said.
The concert will be attended by an audience made up of volunteers from the King’s and Queen’s Consort charitable affiliations as well as several thousand members of the public selected through a national ballot organized by the BBC.
They’ll see a “world-class orchestra play renditions of musical favorites led by some of the world’s biggest artists, alongside artists from across the dance world…and a selection of spoken word footage delivered by performing stars and screen,” the palace said. , adding that a line-up would be released in due course.
A diverse group of British refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf choirs, will form ‘The Coronation Choir’ and will also perform at the concert, alongside ‘The Virtual Choir’, made up of singers from across the Commonwealth.
Well-known locations across the country will also be illuminated using projections, lasers, drones and illuminations as part of the concert.
The celebrations will end on the bank holiday Monday with ‘The Big Help Out’ which will aim to ‘bring communities together and create a lasting legacy of volunteerism from Coronation Weekend’.
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