Saturday 6 May

• The Coronation Ceremony of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey. 

• Buckingham Palace says the Ceremony “will reflect the Monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”.

• The day will commence with The King’s Procession, when Their Majesties will arrive at Westminster Abbey in procession from Buckingham Palace.

• Timings have not yet been announced. Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 Ceremony commenced at 11.15am.  

• The Service will be conducted by The Archbishop of Canterbury and has been planned to be representative of different faiths and community groups. It is likely that, as well as The King’s pledge to be Defender of the Faith, further words will be added to signal that His Majesty serves all religions.

• See our Ritual and Regalia article for a step-by-step guide to the stages of the Coronation Service.

• The King will be crowned in the 700-year-old Coronation Chair used by King Edward I, which has been painstakingly restored for months by Krista Blessley, a conservator at Westminster Abbey.

• The chrism oil for the Anointing has already been made, from olives from the Mount of Olives prepared in a special Ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

• Music will play a key role. The King has personally commissioned 12 new pieces of music, including a new Coronation Anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a Coronation March by film composer Patrick Doyle, and others from world-renowned British composers. The traditional Coronation Anthem, Zadok the Priest by George Frideric Handel, will also be played. There will be solo performances by bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, soprano Pretty Yende and baritone Roderick Williams, with a special Coronation Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano that will include members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The music will be directed by Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey. Greek Orthodox music will also be performed by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble in tribute to Prince Philip.

• After the Service, the newly crowned monarchs will return to Buckingham Palace in The Gold State Coach.

• There will then be the big Balcony moment, when The King and The Queen Consort will be joined by members of the Royal Family — exactly which ones are not yet known.

• The Westminster Abbey guest list is also not yet known, but we do know that The King has invited Prince Harry, after much speculation. The 6 May happens to be his grandson Archie’s birthday, as well as the wedding anniversary of the late Princess Margaret.

Street parties will be held across the weekend. There is guidance on how to host your own at gov.uk and you can add your street party or event to the official interactive map. The map, together with a toolkit for all aspects of celebrating the Coronation, from children’s activities to bunting and recipes, can be found on the official Coronation website (see over).