A photo shows 4-year-old Prince Charles apparently bored out of his mind at his mother's coronation in 1953

• Queen Elizabeth II's coronation was almost 70 years ago, on June 2, 1953.
• King Charles III, then Prince Charles, was pictured leaning his head on his hand at the hours-long ceremony.
• The coronation of Charles and Camilla will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

A coronation is a momentous — sometimes once-in-a-lifetime — occasion. And yet, 4-year-old Prince Charles looked like he would have rather been anywhere else than at the coronation of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953.

A photo taken during the three-hour-long ceremony on June 2, 1953, shows Charles leaning his head on his hand at Westminster Abbey, where he stood between his grandmother, the Queen Mother, and his aunt, Princess Margaret.

Charles was the first child to witness his mother crowned as sovereign, according to the royal family's website. His then-2-year-old sister, Princess Anne, did not attend because she was thought to be too young, but she did join the family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the ceremony.

Nearly 70 years later, Charles — now King Charles III — will have his own hours-long, multi-phase ceremony on Saturday, May 6. He will become the 40th monarch crowned at Westminster Abbey. 

At 74, he will also become the oldest king crowned in British history, and his wife, Camilla, 75, will be the oldest Queen Consort to be crowned.

Just like Charles 70 years ago, some of the royal children are expected to attend the ceremony. Prince George, 9, who is second in line to the throne, will hold a special role as a "page of honor" during the event. He will attend alongside his siblings, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

But while the Queen had 8,250 guests at her ceremony, Charles' coronation is reportedly expected to be smaller, with 2,000 attendees.