Where to witness King Charles, Queen Camilla coronation

Then-Duchess of Cornwall Camilla and Prince Charles in the House of Lords, during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster on June 4, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO 

Anticipation is high as Britain prepares to crown King Charles 3rd and Queen Consort Camilla Saturday, May 6. Buckingham Palace announced that the coronation will “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry.”

Set to take place at Westminster Abbey with the sacred rites led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, world leaders — including Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos —, selected nobility and citizens and supporters near and far will be all eyes to witness this historic ceremony.

Where to watch

In the Philippines, the British Embassy in Manila will host a live coronation screening today beginning at 4 p.m. at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Dubbed “The Coronation Picnic,” the Embassy has prepared uniquely British food and drink, fun activities ranging from sports to trivia about the Royal Family and live performances featuring the best of British music.

Local bands such as andwich, The Male Gaze and String Fusion are also expected to perform during the celebration. The event is open to all, and admission is free of charge.

Those at home, of course, can also rely on news updates from free TV networks like GMA and TV5 as well as ANC, CNN and the BBC for cable subscribers, but to be sure, log on to the Royal Family’s official YouTube channel at 5:25 p.m. at the latest where the historic event will be streamed live in full.

Symbolic fashion

Besides the ceremony, fashion is also in many’s minds, especially with pomp, pageantry and rich coronation tradition.

The St. Edward’s Crown will be laid on King Charles’ head for the coronation. PHOTO FROM ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST WEBSITE 

The King will be crowned with the solid gold St. Edward’s Crown during the Westminster ceremony. Said crown was originally made for King Charles 2nd in 1661. It is decorated with 444 precious stones, including rubies, amethysts and sapphires.

He will also be adorned with the Supertunica, a golden long-sleeve coat with beautiful embroidery.

Queen Consort Camilla has chosen the Queen Mary’s crown for the highly religious rites PHOTO FROM ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST WEBSITE 

The Queen Consort, on the other hand, will wear a modified version of Queen Mary’s crown, crafted by Garrard for the 1911 coronation and commissioned by Queen Mary, the consort of George 5th.

In February, reports revealed that Queen Consort Camilla had chosen her friend Bruce Oldfield to design her coronation dress. Traditionally, British Queens wore white gowns with golden intricacies to the coronation, but for 2023, the carefully collaborated design of the former Camilla Parker-Bowles will remain a secret until she escorts the King from Buckingham Palace.

The Queen Consort is also expected to honor the late Queen Elizabeth by wearing the Robe of State originally made for the latter during her coronation. Made by Ede & Ravenscroft, the breathtaking robe features a crimson velvet cape and golden trim.

Prince William is expected to don the Prince of Wales coronet at his father’s coronation ceremony. “The Times” meanwhile wrote that Princess Kate will wear flowers in her hair instead of a tiara to honor “King Charles’s belief in the importance of sustainability and his love of nature.”

What then of the 2,000 dignitaries invited? What will they wear? Recent reports reveal the Royal Family requested guests “dress down” for the coronation, switching out their formal robes for “standard business attire,” reflecting this monarch’s sensitivity to the times and more modern approach.

“This event is going to be so completely different to Queen Elizabeth 2nd’s coronation when it comes to dress codes,” King Charles’ former butler Grant Harrold told “Slingo,” via Page Six.

“Aristocracy traditionally would wear the coronation robes. If you look at the Queen’s coronation, you would see the dukes, duchesses and countesses all had these special robes created for the coronation. Historically, the aristocracy wore these robes, but now this will not be the case,” he added.

Harrold furthered that the dress code is a “massive change to royal protocol.”

“For this coronation, most royals will wear suits, not their special robes. The senior members of the royal family decide the royal etiquette and dress code,” Harrold continued. “I believe the ladies will wear dresses. For the evening event. They might wear ball gowns, but during the day, they will obviously wear something very smart.

“I don’t think you will see the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Wessex, or the Duchess of Edinburgh wear any tiaras. I really don’t think we’ll see that in the dress code because I think the focus will be more on day wear, showing how relaxed the dress code is for the event,” he ended.