Bank holiday date for Coronation of King Charles III date confirmed

The King’s coronation will be held on Saturday, May 6 next year, with the Queen Consort being crowned alongside Charles, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Jonathan Pritchard
By Jonathan Pritchard
Published 11th Oct 2022, 18:00 BST
Updated 8th Nov 2022, 10:10 BST

The deeply religious affair will take place in Westminster Abbey, eight months after the monarch’s accession and the death of the Queen. The Palace said the ceremony will be “rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry” but also “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future”.

Charles III will be anointed with holy oil, receive the orb, coronation ring and sceptre, be crowned with the majestic St Edward’s Crown and blessed during the historic ceremony. Camilla will also be anointed with holy oil and crowned, just like the Queen Mother was when she was crowned Queen in 1937.

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May 6 is also the birthday of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie – Charles’s grandson – who will be turning four on the day.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort view floral tributes left outside Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, following the death Queen Elizabeth IIKing Charles III and the Queen Consort view floral tributes left outside Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, following the death Queen Elizabeth II
King Charles III and the Queen Consort view floral tributes left outside Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, following the death Queen Elizabeth II

The date was also the wedding anniversary of the late Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, while the King’s grandfather George VI held his coronation in the month of May.

The Palace said: “Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce that the coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023. The coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside the Queen Consort. The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.”

Who will attend?

Guest lists have yet to be confirmed for the spectacle, including whether or not Harry and Meghan will be invited or be able to travel from California to attend.

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It is understood that the ceremony will include the same core elements of the traditional service, which has retained a similar structure for more than 1,000 years, while also recognising the spirit of our times.

Charles’s coronation is expected to be on a smaller scale and shorter, with suggestions that it could last just one hour rather than over three.

It is expected to be more inclusive of multi-faith Britain than past coronations but will be an Anglican service.

Guest numbers will be reduced from 8,000 to around 2,000, with peers expected to wear suits and dresses instead of ceremonial robes, and a number of rituals, such as the presentation of gold ingots, axed.

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Will there be a bank holiday?

The Government has proclaimed an additional bank holiday to mark the coronation of the King next year.

Downing Street said the holiday will fall on Monday May 8 following the coronation at Westminster Abbey two days earlier on Saturday May 6. It will take place across the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that – as was the case with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 – it will be an opportunity for families and communities across the country to come together to celebrate.

The announcement follows calls from Tory MPs for the Government to either move the early May bank holiday from May 1 to coincide with the coronation weekend or to declare an extra day off.

Related topics:Charles IIIQueen