A COMPLETE order of service for King Charles III Coronation at Westminster Abbey.
Follow our essential minute-by-minute guide to today's coronation including time King Charles will be anointed.
6:00 Public access to the procession route opens so people can reserve key viewing spots.
7:15 The guests start arriving at Westminster Abbey.
9:00 Non-VIP members of the congregation take their seats.
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9:10 The first big movement of ceremonial troops, as the servicemen and women who will line the route start to take their places.
9:30 VIP guests start to enter the Abbey. These include heads of state, overseas government representatives, government ministers, First Ministers and former Prime Ministers.
9:45 About 200 members of the Armed Forces gather by Buckingham Palace, ready to accompany the King and Queen to Westminster Abbey.
They will be mostly from the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry.
10:10 A small military group heads out along the route from Buckingham Palace to confirm ceremonially that it is safe and secure.
10:20 Charles and Camilla leave Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
The 1.42-mile route for what is called the King’s Procession takes them down The Mall to Trafalgar Square, along Whitehall and Parliament St, around the east and south sides of Parliament Square then along Broad Sanctuary to finish at Westminster Abbey.
10:30 Foreign royals start to enter the Abbey.
10:40 Members of the Royal Family, not including the King and Queen, arrive at the Abbey and walk down the nave to take their seats.
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They are not part of the King’s Procession, and will make their way to the Abbey privately.
ROYAL ENTRANCE
10:53 The King and Queen arrive at Abbey.
11.00 Unusually, the Queen enters the Great West Door at Westminster Abbey ahead of the King.
They wear crimson Robes of State, with their trains carried by pages including nine- year-old Prince George.
Camilla’s grandsons Gus, Louis and Freddy are also among the helpers.
Ahead of the royals, the procession has already begun, with faith leaders and representatives from Commonwealth countries where Charles is King.
There are also Church of England officials, walking behind a beadle carrying the newly made silver Cross of Wales.
It contains two splinters of wood said to come from the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
Also ahead of the King and Queen are peers and officials carrying regalia including the crowns.
As 2,300 invited guests watch, the royal couple walk to the spot in front of the altar known as the Coronation Theatre.
Two thrones and the 700-year-old Coronation Chair are on the Cosmati Pavement, a newly restored mosaic floor that has been used for the crowning of monarchs since Edward I in 1274.
Patterns symbolising the cosmos and the relationship of heaven and earth will put Charles literally at the centre of God’s universe.
Charles is greeted by 14-year-old choirboy Samuel Strachan, representing youth.
The King then silently prays, and the Archbishop of Canterbury introduces proceedings.
The Recognition: Charles is presented to “the people”, a tradition dating from Anglo-Saxon times.
Each side of the congregation in turn is asked to recognise Charles as “your undoubted King”.
Charles is given the new Coronation Bible, made by a team of 40 craftspeople.
The Oath: The Archbishop asks Charles to vow to uphold faith and the law.
For the first time, extra lines have been added asking the King to “foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely”.
With his hand on the Bible, Charles swears to do so. He then swears a second oath, the Accession Declaration Oath, stating his commitment to the Church of England. Charles signs both oaths.
King’s Prayer: The King kneels before the High Altar and recites his own specially written prayer, another first for this Coronation. The words were inspired by the hymn I Vow To Thee, My Country.
Charles asks God “that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and conviction, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness”.
Preparation For The Anointing: Charles will become King in the sight of God at the moment when the Archbishop of Canterbury anoints him with holy oil. It is the most sacred part of the ceremony.
The special oil, consecrated in the Holy Land, is held in an eagle-shaped gold flask – the Ampulla – made for Charles II’s coronation. It is a replica of a version said to have been given to St Thomas Becket by the Virgin Mary in a vision in the 12th Century.
Charles’s Robe of State is taken off, leaving him in “simple clothing”, showing his humility to God.
Coronation Chair: For the first time, Charles sits in the ancient oak Coronation Chair, facing the High Altar. Kings and queens have been crowned in this chair since 1308 – and it now bears graffiti from Abbey visitors over the centuries.
It was made on the orders of Edward I to enclose the Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, which he stole from Scotland.
Kings of Scotland had sat on it at their coronations since 840.
Anointing: Six Guardsmen, led by a Warrant Officer, will move a newly embroidered Anointing Screen to shield the sacred moment itself from view.
Holy oil is poured from the Ampulla into the oldest piece of equipment used in the ceremony – the 12th Century Coronation Spoon. It was the only piece of regalia to survive the English Civil War.
The Archbishop dabs oil on the King on his head, breast and hands, in the form of a cross.
Investiture Of Clothing: The screen is removed and Charles kneels at the High Altar.
He puts on a sleeveless linen tunic called the Colobium Sindonis, representing purity and made for George VI. On top of this goes a golden silk coat called the Supertunica.
It was made for George V in 1911 and was last worn by the late Queen in 1953. A sword belt is also strapped on.
Investiture Of Regalia: Senior bishops and dignitaries – including for the first time peers representing the Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish faiths – present Charles with the regalia of kingship. These items are all part of the Crown Jewels.
Golden spurs: These are first to be handed up for Charles to touch, representing honour and made for Charles II in 1661.
Jewelled Sword of Offering: Put into his right hand. It stands for justice and mercy and when it is given back to the Lord President of the Council, Penny Mordaunt, she has to symbolically “pay” for it.
She does this by handing over a velvet bag of 100 newly minted 50p coins, featuring the King’s head.
Armills: Armlets symbolising sincerity and wisdom, which the King touches. Again they were made in 1661.
Stole Royal: Prince William enters the Coronation Theatre to give his father this newly made embroidered scarf.
Robe Royal: William also helps Charles put on this golden cloak, also known as the Imperial Mantle. It was made for George IV in 1821 and has been worn by George V, George VI and Elizabeth II.
Orb: Made in 1661, it represents kingly power and the kingdom of God.
Sovereign’s Ring: Charles just touches this. It was made in 1831 for William IV and represents the union of God, King and people.
Coronation Glove: This is put on his right hand. It was made for his grandfather George VI in 1937 and symbolises “authority with gentleness”.
Sceptre with Cross: Boasts the largest colourless cut diamond in the world – a 530-carat wonder added to the original 1661 sceptre in 1911.
This jewel was cut from the largest rough diamond ever found, the 3,106-carat Cullinan, discovered in South Africa in 1905. It represents the King’s power as head of state.
Sceptre with Dove: Made in 1661, symbolising his role as head of the Church of England. He holds both these sceptres during the next, most important part of the investiture.
THE CROWNING
12.01 The Archbishop places St Edward’s Crown on Charles’s head. It is made of solid gold and 444 jewels including rubies and sapphires, and weighs 5lb.
Again it was made in 1661, replacing the 11th Century crown used since Edward the Confessor.
There is a fanfare of trumpets and shouts of “God Save the King!” At the same time, gun salutes are fired across the UK, including a 62-round salute at the Tower of London.
Salutes are also fired in Gibraltar, Bermuda and on Royal Navy ships at sea.
Meanwhile the Abbey’s bells ring out for two minutes. Short blessings follow by Christian leaders from around the UK.
Enthronement: Wearing the crown, Charles rises from the Coronation Chair and sits on the Throne of England. This is a velvet-covered chair made for George VI in 1937.
Homage: First to kneel and swear his allegiance is the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Then Prince William kneels, promising his father to be “your liege man of life and limb”. Finally the Archbishop asks the congregation and viewers at home to make their own homages.
This innovation replaces the old homages paid by hereditary peers.
Coronation Of The Queen: Sitting in the same Chair of Estate that she has been using throughout the service so far, the Queen is anointed with holy oil.
She touches the ruby Consort’s Ring, made for Queen Adelaide in 1831 and last used in 1937 by Queen Elizabeth, the old Queen Mother. The Archbishop then crowns her.
Queen Mary’s Crown: Made for Charles’s great-grandmother in 1911, when a newspaper wrote: “The diamonds cluster together as if they have no support but their own light.”
This time four of its eight detachable arches have been removed, to update its look. Sceptre with Cross and Sceptre with Dove: Both made for Charles II’s wife Mary of Modena in 1685.
Finally as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new Coronation Anthem is sung, the Queen takes her own throne, originally made for Charles’s grandmother.
Communion: The King and Queen leave their thrones and sit in their Chairs of Estate for the ritual involving bread and wine, representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
There are traditional prayers before the Archbishop gives the monarchs a wafer of bread and a sip of the wine – the main act of worship for the Christian Church.
Change Of Robes And Crown: Hymns are sung as Their Majesties move behind the altar into St Edward’s Chapel. They change into purple velvet Robes of Estate.
Charles is re-using the one worn by grandfather George VI in 1937, but Camilla’s is new.
Charles also puts on the Imperial State Crown, which is less than half the weight of St Edward’s Crown.
It was last seen on top of the late Queen’s coffin, and is also the one worn at the State Opening of Parliament.
Made for George VI, the cross on top contains a sapphire from a ring worn by 11th Century king Edward the Confessor.
And at the front is the Black Prince’s Ruby – actually a spinel stone – worn by Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
There are also 2,868 diamonds including the 317-carat Cullinan II, which is below the big red spinel stone.
Departure With Family: The King and Queen move back up the nave.
Joining their procession will be the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their children Louise and James.
Princess Anne and husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will also take part, along with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
At the West Door, Charles is greeted by leaders and representatives of the Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim faiths.
He is also greeted by the Governors-General who represent the King in other countries where he is monarch.
The King and Queen then leave the Abbey at 12.55pm as bells ring out.
13:00 The King and Queen begin their journey back to Buckingham Palace.
For this part of the occasion, called the Coronation Procession, they will travel in the notoriously uncomfortable Gold State Coach. And this time other members of the Royal Family join the parade.
Princess Anne rides immediately behind the sovereigns, at the head of the troops. Then come the Prince and Princess of Wales in a carriage with their children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Following them in another coach will be the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh with their children.
A final carriage will carry the Duke of Gloucester, a cousin of the late Queen, and his wife the Duchess as well as Princess Anne’s husband Sir Timothy Laurence.
The final royals in the procession, this time in a car, are two more of the late Queen’s cousins, the Duke of Kent and his sister Princess Alexandra.
The route back to the Palace will be the same as the one to the Abbey, but will take longer because 4,000 troops are also taking part.
13:33 Their Majesties arrive back at the Palace.
13:45 The King and Queen come out on to the Palace’s garden terrace to take the salute from the thousands of military personnel who have taken part in the procession.
The Armed Forces members will then give the monarchs three cheers.
14:15 (approximately) Charles and Camilla appear on the balcony with other senior members of the royals.
14:30 An RAF fly- past by 68 aircraft, including a Lancaster bomber.
After this, the King and Queen will have an informal lunch with family members.
Then official Coronation portraits will be taken by photographer Hugo Burnand.
Traditionally the King and Queen make several more unscheduled appearances on the balcony throughout the day.
