State procession route: Where will King Charles’ carriage drive and who will be with him?
IT is just a matter of weeks till King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
On the day, there will be ceremonial processions before and after the service – and it’s much shorter than the route the late Elizabeth II used for her coronation.
What is the coronation procession route?
Unlike the late Queen at her coronation, the King and Queen Consort will take a much shorter route of 1.3 miles to Westminster Abbey.
Starting from Buckingham Palace, they will process down The Mall via Admiralty Arch and along the south side of Trafalgar Square.
They will continue down Whitehall and along Parliament Street before travelling around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary and arriving at the Abbey.
The route is understood to have been chosen for practical reasons, being a familiar journey for many royal occasions.
Once the newly crowned King and Queen Consort wrap things up at the service, they’ll head back on the same route but it is expected to be on a much grander scale.
When will King Charles process to Westminster Abbey?
The first procession will begin on the morning of May 6.
The King and Queen Consort are expected to arrive at Westminster Abbey for an 11 am service.
An exact time for the procession is yet to be confirmed.
Once we have an update, we will let you know.
Who will be with King Charles in the Gold State Coach?
King Charles will be joined in the carriage by Queen Consort Camilla.
Nobody else is permitted to ride in the Gold State Coach other than the king and queen.
King George VI once described a trip in the coach as “One of the most uncomfortable rides I have ever had in my life”.
When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned she used the coach to travel to and from the ceremony.
She also described it as “horrible” and “not very comfortable”.
King Charles will be taking a different approach to his mother as he will only use it to travel from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace via Admiralty Arch.
The King and Queen Consort will be travelling to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was first used in 2014.
The transport offers a much smoother ride for the pair along with it also having modern luxuries such as air-conditioning.