Details For King Charles' Coronation Have Finally Been Confirmed

Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her eldest son automatically became king. But the more formal process is still to come: the coronation. The coronation as described by the Royal Household is "a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power." King Charles III was four years old at his mother's coronation, and he got his own hand-painted invitation to the event (per People).

Queen Elizabeth's was the first British coronation to be televised (via BBC) and a number of households in the United Kingdom bought their first TV so they could watch the historic event. There's nothing the British do quite so well as pomp and pageantry, and it was a grand event — even down to the shoes Queen Elizabeth wore. Her coronation was held 16 months after she became queen upon the death of her father King George VI, according to Metro. But it seems like things will be happening more quickly for King Charles.

Mark your calendars! King Charles III's coronation date has officially been announced by Buckingham Palace: Saturday, May 6, 2023. It will be at Westminster Abbey, and the Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct the ceremony. In the announcement, the palace said "The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry."

This seems to confirm the fact that King Charles' coronation will be different than Queen Elizabeth II's. Plans for the king's coronation have been in the works for years, and it allegedly has the code name Operation Golden Orb, according to Fortune. It's unlikely there will be as many guests — there were 8,251 in attendance at the queen's coronation, and it's not likely to be as long, according to The Telegraph. This would make sense since King Charles has a goal of creating "a smaller, more modern monarchy," the outlet noted. But as pared down as it might be, King Charles will be wearing quite a lot of jewels.