A historic event: Charles' Coronation Day in photos

King Charles III and Queen Camilla
King Charles and Queen Camilla
The guests
The royals
Third row
Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
The Prince and Princess of Wales
Princess Charlotte
The Wales children - Charlotte and Louis
Prince George
Meanwhile
The horse that had everyone holding their breath
A hot job
A quick pause
A bandsman taken ill
Grand entrance
Entrance for jewels
The Orb
The ceremony
The Holy Bible
Boring for a little Prince
Prince Harry also full of facial expressions
A woman with a sword
Behind a screen
The King's new clothes
Crowning
A long wait
Prince William
21st century crowning
Change of costume
Queen Camilla
The Consort Crown
The King steps out
Golden State Coach
Incredible sights
Prince George and Princess Charlotte
Illegal drone
King Charles III
Salute and National Anthem
Crowds
Royal wave
The royal family
The flypast
Red arrows
King Charles III and Queen Camilla

The much-awaited coronation event came to an end with the royal family appearing on the iconic Buckingham Palace balcony. Crowds cheered as they witnessed the newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

The Queen Consort entered the impressive Westminster Abbey ahead of her husband, King Charles III to have crowns placed upon their heads and take their oaths of fidelity to the crown and the people over whom they will rule. The day was filled with highlights - before and after the ceremony, including spectacular dresses, awkward entrances, and rogue horses. See the coronation day in photos.

The guests

Before King Charles arrived for his coronation, celebrities, close friends and heads of state entered the iconic London church. From Lionel Richie to Ursula Von Der Leyen, guests from around the world arrived to take part in the celebrations.

The royals

The first set of the close royal family to arrive were Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands. Along with them tagged Prince Harry whose wife, Meghan, stayed behind at their home in California. The group looked relaxed yet, Beatrice's husband, Edoardo Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, gave Harry a bit of encouragement with a pat on the back as they entered.

Third row

Prince Harry then proceeded to sit down along with his cousins in the third row, behind other 'more senior' royals. Some viewers would have expected him to be closer to the action.

Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh

Just before the King and Queen arrived, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, newly named in their new roles, arrived dressed in robes of state, looking very regal. Their children accompanied them: the Earl of Wessex and the Lady Louise, who looked lovely and fresh in floral patterns.

The Prince and Princess of Wales

The Princess of Wales, Cathrine, gave a quick glance to the crowds before she entered the abbey, alongside her husband, the next in line to the throne, Prince William.

Princess Charlotte

En route to the abbey, Princess Charlotte was spotted peering eerily out of the rain splattered window with an eerie expression on her face. Perhaps nervous for the big day?

The Wales children - Charlotte and Louis

The two youngest children of the Prince and Princess of Wales walked alongside their parents in the drizzling rain in London. Charlotte looked stunning and there were not too many antics from the young Prince at this point. All was going well. But where was Prince George?

Prince George

The oldest sibling of the Wales children had a special role in the ceremony. He was one of four Pages of Honour and was outside waiting to welcome their Majesties, looking a littler nervous, perhaps?

Meanwhile

As the final guests were arriving, the King and Queen's journey through the streets of London was also coming to an end as they approached Westminster Abbey. The carriage was the Late Queen's jubilee carriage - a newer version of the uncomfortable, 260 year old Gold State Coach.

The horse that had everyone holding their breath

one horse was not really enjoying the celebrations. The animal, part of the Household Cavalry Mounted Band had two drums strapped to it and was veering off course, making many think it would have started a 'domino' effect, taking out the rest of the horses behind it. The horse recovered... but maybe his ears drums won't.

A hot job

A Royal Navy officer was helped by other members of the military after fainting during the Coronation procession in London. The rigorous marching and standing around was too much for this officer.

A quick pause

As the King arrived, he did briefly pause next to his grandson. The new monarch is well-known for being a doting grandfather to all the children.

A bandsman taken ill

But, as the King was arriving, a bandsman was taken ill while taking part in the 'King's Procession'. The procession is a journey of two kilometres from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.

Grand entrance

As the monarchs entered the magnificent church, Penny Mourdaunt waits to welcome them. In her role as Lord President of the Privy Council, she was a big part of the proceedings.

Entrance for jewels

The sacred objects entered Westminster Abbey next, the first being the ornate (and extremely heavy) 17th Century St Edward's crown. This is worn by a monarch only once in their lifetimes - when the new monarch is crowned.

The Orb

Next up came the orb - an item to show Kingship on earth only, and that the King answers alone to his God.

The ceremony

The ceremony began with a welcome and King Charles accepted his willingness to take on the throne. Interestingly, after having over 70 years to prepare for this moment, the King read his few words from a sheet over his shoulder.

The Holy Bible

The King also swore his oath as a Protestant Head of the Church and kissed the Holy Bible for good measure.

Boring for a little Prince

Perhaps the solemn event was a tad boring for the little Prince Louis, who is well known for displaying his emotions clearly.

Prince Harry also full of facial expressions

Another Prince in the audience was also not too careful with his facial expressions after clearly seeing something shocking in the congregation when people arrived and walked down the aisle.

A woman with a sword

It was Penny Mordaunt's job to present a very important constitutional symbol, the sword of state to the King.

Behind a screen

The King was covered by a screen for the sacred moment of the anointing which, historically, has always been done in complete private. Camilla watched on as her husband took off his coronation robe and stepped out of sight.

The King's new clothes

The King was then wrapped in a golden tunic and seated on the coronation chair, before the crown was to be placed on his head.

Crowning

The moment the crown was placed on the King's head. This will be an iconic photo for years to come.

A long wait

The King was given the sceptres and sat on the coronation chair... for what felt like a very long time. Hymns were sung and homages to the new King were made.

Prince William

Prince William, the future King, knelt at his father's feet and promised allegiance to him.

21st century crowning

Westminster Abbey is a long building. That said, it was always going to be hard for those at the back of the congregation to get a glimpse of what's going on at the front. Screens were placed inside Westminster Abbey to get live-coverage of the events taking place at the other end.

Change of costume

In another robe-change, the King was wrapped in a heavy-looking gold cloak and (finally) stood up to take a walkabout around the Abbey.

Queen Camilla

The Queen Consort was then crowned in a less grand affair. The crown was placed on her head and they are now know as 'Their Majesties the King and Queen'.

The Consort Crown

Filled with emotions, the seemingly-nervous Queen then took to her feet to amble behind her husband. She was crowned with the Crown of Queen Mary - the consort crown that was made in 1911.

The King steps out

One final change of costume and Charles finally walks out of Westminster Abbey, the anointed and crowned King.

Golden State Coach

Jumping into the Golden State Coach drawn by 8 horses, the King and Queen leave the abbey and make their way back up the mall, following the immaculately timed procession.

Incredible sights

The images of the procession heading up the mall were spectacular.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte

After a nerve-racking morning, the young Prince George could finally relax in the carriage with his family. He seemed to enjoy his trip in the horse-drawn carriage along with his sister, Princess Charlotte, who used the opportunity to wave to the public.

Illegal drone

As the procession was coming to an end, an illegal drone was seen hovering above the Mall. This was swiftly shot with a drone jamming device.

King Charles III

Without much more drama, Charles was taken into the confines of Buckingham Palace and could now relax, away from the public eye for a break before the salutes and music in the gardens of the Palace. The procession followed them in and lined up in perfect fashion in the gardens of this iconic building.

Salute and National Anthem

The image of the members of the armed forces standing in formation on the lawn of Buckingham Palace are a spectacle to behold.

Crowds

The public at the same time flooded down the mall towards the gates of Buckingham Palace to await the emergence of the Royal Family on the balcony of this iconic building.

Royal wave

The pair emerged from the window onto the balcony to huge cheers from the crowd. They were joined by the King's page boys and the Queen's ladies in waiting.

The royal family

The King and Queen were joined by senior members of the royal family, including the Prince and princess of Wales and their children, the Princess Royal, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their children, the Earl of Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor.

The flypast

Helicopters appeared over The Mall, signifying the beginning of the flypast. This was scaled down due to the adverse weather conditions.

Red arrows

The fans looked up and cheered as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, otherwise known as The Red Arrows, flew over The Mall and the Queen Victoria Memorial.

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