The Coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday, with tens of thousands of people expected to line the streets to witness it in person.
The ceremony will see the monarch crowned alongside the Queen Consort Camilla following a 1.3-mile procession in the Gold State Coach.
The UK Government has refused to comment on the amount of money the Coronation will cost, with no budget being revealed officially.
However, reports have suggested it could cost around £100 million, with a Buckingham Palace spokesman saying: “Given the coronation is a national state occasion, funding sources will include the sovereign grant and the UK government.”
The bill for the ceremony will be paid by the taxpayer, with many calling for greater clarity on how much the total will be as a result.
A poll, conducted by YouGov, found that the majority of Brits do not believe the public should pay for the coronation.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 is believed to have cost around £912,000, the equivalent of just over £20 million today.
While George VI’s coronation would have cost around £24 million in today’s money.
Coronation day key timings to know
The day begins at 6am when the viewing area along the procession route with the King and the Queen Consort is expected to arrive at Westminster Abbey at 10.53am.
His Majesty will be crowned at midday before the Coronation procession heads towards Buckingham Palace.
The newly crowned King and Queen Consort will receive a royal salute in the Palace gardens at 1.45pm before appearing on the balcony alongside members of the Royal Family for the flypast.
- 6am – Viewing areas open along the procession route.
- 7.15-8.30am – Guests for Westminster Abbey begin to arrive at security checkpoints in Victoria Tower Gardens.
- 9am – Congregation to be seated inside the Abbey.
- 9.30-10.45am – Heads of state, overseas government representatives, Government ministers, First Ministers, former PMs, foreign royals and members of the royal family arrive.
- 9.45am – The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry begin to gather ready for the procession from Buckingham Palace.
- 10.20am – The King and Queen Consort’s procession sets off from the Palace.
- 10.53am – The King and Queen Consort arrive at Westminster Abbey.
- 11am – Charles and Camilla enter the Abbey through the Great West Door and the service begins.
- 12pm – The King is crowned. The Archbishop of Canterbury places the St Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head. Trumpets will sound and gun salutes will be fired across the UK.
- 1pm – The service ends and the newly crowned King and Queen begin their coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.
- 1.33pm – Charles and Camilla are expected to enter Buckingham Palace through the Centre Arch.
- 1.45pm – The King and Queen Consort receive a royal salute from the military in the Palace gardens
- Around 2.15pm – The King, Queen Consort and members of the royal family appear on the Palace balcony to watch the flypast.
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