How King Charles Is Keeping Himself Fit Ahead Of Coronation Day

The eyes of the world will be on King Charles III this Saturday as he is formally crowned alongside his wife Camilla, Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey. The preparations have been extensive — here are just a few of the unusual details about King Charles' coronation. With the nickname "Operation Golden Orb," the coronation will be very different from the last one. It's slated to have significantly fewer attendees than Queen Elizabeth's coronation: She had over 8,000 guests, while King Charles will have 2,000, including a cadre of royals. His coronation will also be shorter than Queen Elizabeth's by about an hour; hers took over three hours.

But there will still be plenty of pomp and circumstance at the event, if the rehearsal photos are any guide. In the middle of the night a few days before the coronation, members of the armed services practiced the procession to and from Westminster Abbey, which will feature King Charles riding in two elaborate state coaches, per People. The king and other members of the royal family have been spotted visiting Westminster Abbey to practice parts of the ceremony. All in all, the 74-year-old monarch seems ready for the big day, and he's certainly in shape for it, considering his reported twice-daily exercise routine.

King Charles III reportedly follows the 5 Basic Exercises (5BX) plan to keep fit, per Mirror. Developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in the 1950s to give pilots and staff an exercise regimen that could be done anywhere, it only takes 11 minutes, doesn't require any equipment, and involves, as you might guess from the name, just five different moves. There are six different levels of those five exercises, increasing based on difficulty, with the sixth level as "usually found only in champion athletes." No word on what level King Charles is. 

The moves start with a toe-touching stretch for two minutes followed by one minute each of sit-ups, back extensions, and push-ups. It finishes with six minutes of running and jumping in place, and you're to do as many of each exercise as you can within the 11 minutes. According to the Mirror, the monarch does the 5BX plan twice a day. 22 minutes for a full body workout each day is pretty impressive!

Anel Pla, a certified personal trainer and chief wellness officer, told U.S. News and World Report that 5BX "is sort of like the granddaddy of HIIT training." King Charles' father Prince Philip also used the 5BX workout plan throughout his life, per Global News.

Camilla, Queen Consort spoke about her husband's health in 2020 while she was guest editor on BBC Radio 5 Live's "The Emma Barnett Show," after he'd had a mild case of COVID-19. She referred to King Charles as "probably the fittest man of his age I know. He'll walk and walk and walk. He's like a mountain goat, he leaves everybody miles behind," as reported by People. King Charles himself has joked about his physique, saying that it's a "never-ending battle" to keep from gaining weight, via The Telegraph.

King Charles III will need to be in good shape for the coronation, thanks to what he'll be wearing. The golden robes he'll be festooned with weigh nearly nine pounds, and the St. Edward's Crown weighs nearly 5 pounds, according to the Independent. But he'll get some help with the weight of the robes from his eldest grandson — Prince George is set to be one of four "Pages of Honour" at the coronation whose job it is to hold the monarch's robes.