Ahead of King Charles' coronation, UK royals unveil emoji, route details. 10 points
1 min read . Updated: 10 Apr 2023, 06:38 AM IST
Premium- King Charles III's coronation ceremony is scheduled to take place on 6 May 2023
- Charles, 74, immediately became king when Queen Elizabeth II died last September after her record-breaking 70-year reign
Britain's royal family has unveiled new details about King Charles III's coronation ceremony which is scheduled to take place on 6 May 2023. Charles, 74, immediately became king when Queen Elizabeth II died last September after her record-breaking 70-year reign but will be formally crowned at a May 6 service inside London's Westminster Abbey.
Here are 10 updates about King Charles III's coronation:
The three-day weekend will feature a star-studded concert, nationwide "big lunch" and volunteering initiatives.
Buckingham Palace said the royals have created new emoji to mark the historic occasion based on the 17th-century St Edward's Crown.
The centrepiece of Britain's famous Crown Jewels and worn by Charles's late mother at her coronation in 1953, it has been altered for him to wear seven decades later.
The motif will appear on Twitter when any of the various hashtags -- including #Coronation, #CoronationBigLunch, and #TheBigHelpOut -- are used.
The latest plans released for the coronation ceremony -- which will also see Charles's wife Camilla crowned queen consort -- confirmed it will be less elaborate than the one staged in 1953.
King Charles III plans to take a shortcut and smoother ride to Westminster Abbey for his coronation, trimming the procession route his mother took in 1953.
The procession will go through Admiralty Arch; past Trafalgar Square and a statue of Charles I, the monarch beheaded in 1649; and by the houses of Parliament before arriving for the 11 a.m. religious service.
Camilla, who will wear Queen Mary's Crown, will hold a controversial scepter made of ivory. Britain has a near-total ban on dealing elephant ivory products and Prince William, heir to the throne, has campaigned against illegal animal part trafficking.
The crown, which is the inspiration for the coronation emoji, features a 4.9-pound (2.2-kilogram) solid gold frame set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topazes, and tourmalines and has a purple velvet cap and ermine band. It was worn by Elizabeth during her coronation and has been refitted for her son.
At the end of the ceremony, Charles will switch to the lighter Imperial State Crown for the procession back to the palace.
The Gold State Coach, which weighs 4,000 kilograms, and is pulled by eight horses, is known for its notoriously rough ride.