King Charles III is scheduled to take the throne in a very religious ceremony on Saturday, eight months after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died.
More than 2,000 people are anticipated to attend the 39th coronation ceremony of the British monarchy at Westminster Abbey.
Here’s a look at who will be in attendance at the coronation, how it will compare to Queen Elizabeth’s, and how spectators can watch the ceremony.
Who is representing the United States at the coronation?
President Joe Biden will not attend King Charles’ coronation, but First Lady Jill Biden will. No US president has ever attended a coronation. In September, Biden did attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
According to Laura Beers, an American University professor of British history, it was historically difficult for a president to travel overseas to a coronation. Beers further stated that because to the country’s independence from the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, US presidents did not attend occasions such as coronations.
“It wasn’t really a place for the President of the United States.” “And I believe Biden is continuing that tradition,” Beers said. “It has nothing to do with US foreign policy towards Britain, the nature of the special relationship, or anything else.” It’s just that this is a British and Commonwealth problem.”
The United States team, chaired by Jill Biden, will also feature special climate envoy John Kerry, who has worked on climate initiatives with Charles.
Prince Harry will also attend the coronation but will not take part in it. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Harry’s wife, is staying in California with their children.
Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, both “American Idol” judges, will perform at King Charles’ coronation ceremony on Sunday. Both are ambassadors for the king’s charities: Richie for The Prince’s Trust, which the monarch created in 1976 to help disadvantaged youth, and Perry for the British Asian Trust, which King Charles co-formed to combat poverty in South Asia.
How will it compare to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II?
While King Charles’ coronation is still expected to be impressive, it will lack the pomp and grandeur seen during his late mother’s coronation in 1953.
Over 8,000 people filled Westminster Abbey for the queen’s coronation service, including every member of the nobility, members of Parliament, and foreign delegations from over 100 countries, many of whom were members of the British Commonwealth.
In his place, President Dwight D. Eisenhower dispatched a special mission of four members.
The ceremony lasted nearly three hours, and the procession back to Buckingham Palace took over four miles through London. Over 16,000 people took part in the procession.
Most members of the nobility who have traditionally been invited to coronations over the past 1,000 years have been excluded, though foreign royalty, members of Parliament, and heads of state such as French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be present.
While King Charles’ coronation will undoubtedly be reduced in comparison to his mother’s, the basic elements will stay the same as they have been since 1066, when Charles’ direct ancestor, English King William the Conqueror, became the first monarch to be crowned in Westminster Abbey. Charles will be crowned in 17th-century regalia and will sit in the coronation chair used by every English, and eventually British, monarch since the 1200s.
“In many ways, what’s most remarkable about British pageantry is how it doesn’t change; there’s actually probably more that’s similar than different about this coronation and its predecessor,” Beers said.
How can viewers in the United States watch the coronation?
In one way, King Charles’ coronation is anticipated to outperform his mother’s: more viewers are expected to tune in via streaming. At 5 a.m. ET on Saturday, the ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC News, CBS, CNN, Fox News, BBC News Channel, and NBC. The service will also be webcast live.
The BBC described the late queen’s ceremony as “the event that did more than any other to make television a mainstream medium.” More than 27 million people in the United Kingdom are expected to have watched the first-ever televised coronation, albeit this figure is likely to be a fraction of how many people worldwide will see her son’s.
The late queen’s burial last year was expected to have been watched by billions of people worldwide, and the coronation may draw equal attention.
