Buckingham Palace have announced the procession route, carriages and additional regalia that will be used in the Coronation.
The Palace has confirmed the coronation service on May 6 will begin at 11am.
Procession route
As it has previously been confirmed by Buckingham Palace, The King and Queen will travel in a procession to Westminster Abbey, in what will be known as The King’s Procession. The procession route will be shorter than that taken by Elizabeth II on her Coronation day in 1953, with the total distance taken by Charles and Camilla to be 1.3 miles, compared to Elizabeth II’s 1.6 mile journey.
Charles and Camilla will take a shorter route on their procession than that of 1953
Their Majesties will ride in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach – a more comfortable ride for the couple who have experienced back pain in recent years – and the route will take them down The Mall via Admiralty Arch, along the south side of Trafalgar Square, past Whitehall and Parliament Street, around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary, to finally arrive at the Abbey.
After the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Their Majesties will travel the same 1.3 miles in reverse, but this time in the Gold State Coach after the ceremony, with His Majesty wearing the Imperial State Crown. Elizabeth II’s journey was 5 miles to ensure as many people saw her as possible, and took two hours to complete.
The Gold State Coach at the Platinum Jubilee pageant (SheepRUs/Flickr)
The Coronation Procession in the Gold State Coach back to Buckingham Palace will feature members of the Armed Forces from the UK, Commonwealth and the British Overseas Territories, as well as the Sovereign’s Bodyguard and Royal Watermen.
Coronation regalia
Over the last couple of months, Buckingham Palace has confirmed the crowns that will be worn by Their Majesties – Queen Mary’s Crown for Camilla, and the Imperial State Crown for Charles.
The regalia that The King will be given includes: the Sovereign’s Orb, the Golden Spurs, bracelets known as Armills, two maces, five symbolic swords, the Sovereign’s Ring, the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove.
Replicas of the Crown Jewels including St Edward’s Crown, the orb and sceptre
When Her Majesty is crowned, she will also hold the Queen Consort’s Rod with Dove (symbolising equity and mercy, and the dove represents the Holy Ghost) and the Queen Consort’s Sceptre with Cross. These were created in 1685 for James II’s wife, Mary of Modena.
She will also be given the Queen Consort’s Ring during the ceremony, a piece of regalia used by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth.
