King Charles III coronation: The schedule and how to watch the ceremony as Britain's monarch is crowned
London — Roughly 2,000 guests from around the world have been invited to London on May 6 to witness the coronation of King Charles III. Here is the expected schedule for the day, and how you can watch the ancient ceremony.
How to watch the coronation of King Charles III:
- What: Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla
- Date: May 6, 2023
- Time: Live coverage beginning at 5 a.m. Eastern
- Location: London, England
- On TV: CBS television stations (find your local station here)
Online stream: Live on CBS News and on your mobile or streaming device
Coronation day schedule, May 6:
The specific times below are not confirmed by Buckingham Palace, but some have been confirmed by the U.K. government, and others have been widely reported by British media. All times listed are U.S. Eastern.
From 1:00 a.m.
Viewing areas along the procession route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey will open. Access to those areas will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so people are expected to start showing up early. Viewers will be directed to alternate viewing areas at nearby Hyde Park, St. James' Park, and Green Park once the procession route viewing areas are full.
Some members of the armed forces who will participate in the procession will start gathering at this time, also.
2:15 a.m.
Guests will begin to arrive at checkpoints to attend the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
4:30 a.m.
Foreign heads of state and members of the British royal family and other royal families will begin to arrive for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
5:20 a.m.
King Charles will begin to travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in a procession. The route is 1.3 miles long, directly through central London.
King Charles and Camilla, who at that stage will still be the queen consort, will travel in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach on their way to Westminster Abbey. The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was first used by Queen Elizabeth II at the state opening of Parliament in 2014. It has hydraulic suspension and air conditioning.
The late Queen Elizabeth II took a much longer route for her coronation procession. Her outward journey was 1.6 miles long, but her return procession was five miles and took two hours. For that procession, she traveled in the Gold State Coach, which King Charles and Camilla will also use for their trip back to Buckingham Palace.
The Queen famously described her bumpy journey in the Gold State Coach as "horrible."
The King and Queen Consort will be accompanied by The Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry during their processions, which will also include hundreds of members of the British armed forces and members of the armed forces from other Commonwealth countries and British Overseas Territories.
6:00 a.m.
The coronation ceremony will begin at Westminster Abbey at 11:00 a.m. local time, 6:00 a.m. Eastern.
Traditionally the events take place as follows: the Recognition, the Coronation Oath, the Anointing, the Investiture and the Enthronement and Homage.
The only part of the coronation ceremony that is required by law is the Coronation Oath. The exact wording of the oath has varied over the centuries. Queen Elizabeth II swore to rule the U.K. and Commonwealth countries according to law, exercise justice with mercy and maintain the Church of England. It is expected that King Charles' oath will be similar, though he is expected to recognize all faiths.
After the oath, Charles is expected to be anointed with holy oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will pour the oil onto a spoon and anoint Charles' hands, head and breast.
Then, Charles will be given the royal robe, the orb, the coronation ring, the sceptre and the rod of his position. St. Edward's Crown will be placed on his head.
After King Charles is crowned, his Queen Consort, Camilla, will be crowned.
8:00 a.m.
The coronation ceremony will end, and the king and queen will then climb into the Gold State Coach, the gilded, horse-drawn carriage that is more than 200 years old, for another procession back to Buckingham Palace. The procession will retrace the same route as the one earlier in the day and last about thirty minutes.
8:45 a.m.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will receive a royal salute from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Armed Forces in the Buckingham Palace gardens.
9:15 a.m.
Members of the royal family will appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past of military planes and helicopters belonging to the British army, navy and air force.
More than 60 planes will participate in the fly-past, some of which have participated in counter-terrorism missions in the Middle East and Africa and delivered support to Ukraine.