The King and Queen are “deeply touched” by the nation’s celebration of their historic coronation, Buckingham Palace has said.
A spokesman said: “Their Majesties were deeply touched by the events of yesterday and profoundly grateful both to all those who helped to make it such a glorious occasion – and to the very many who turned out to show their support in such numbers in London and further afield.”
King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned in a historic ceremony yesterday at Westminster Abbey, watched by 100 heads of state, royals from around the world, celebrities, everyday heroes, and millions around the globe.
It was the fulfillment of Charles’ destiny, but followed the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, after a 70-year reign.
Live updates from King’s historic coronation weekend
Celebrations continue
And the celebrations will continue today, with big lunches taking place around the UK as well as a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle this evening.
The King and Queen will join around 20,000 members of the public at the coronation concert where, along with other family members, they will see performances by Take That, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie.
The official Instagram account for the Prince and Princess of Wales posted behind-the-scenes footage of getting Prince William preparing for this evening.
In it, the Prince can be seen preparing to give a speech – a voice can be heard saying: “OK, Prince of Wales, it’s time for your rehearsal” before William strides out towards the microphone.
The show in Windsor, hosted by Paddington and Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville, will see Hollywood star Tom Cruise, Dynasty actress Dame Joan Collins, adventurer Bear Grylls and singer Sir Tom Jones appear via video message.
Meanwhile, guests have begun arriving in Downing Street for a lunch with the Prime Minister and his wife to mark the King’s coronation.
There was a hum of excited chatter as those invited – including volunteers, Ukrainian refugees, and youth group members – sipped fruit drinks and took photos in front of the famous Number 10 door as they awaited the arrival of Rishi and Akshata Murty.
More from the King’s coronation:
Camilla: From Mrs Parker Bowles to Queen
Why Wales doesn’t want a Prince
Charles: A life in pictures
The street is bedecked in Union flag bunting and music was being played by the RAF Northolt brass quintet.
Mr Sunak walked out the famous door saying, “Hello, how are you?” before he began mingling with guests.
Pomp, pageantry and protests
But the weekend has not been without its controversies, with police arresting a number of protesters from groups including Republic and Just Stop Oil.
More than 50 anti-monarchy demonstrators were arrested during yesterday’s events – including 13 people to “prevent a breach of the peace”, and a man with an unused megaphone, who police said could “scare the horses”.
Graham Smith, the chief executive of Republic, said in his statement following his arrest that the detentions “destroyed whatever trust might have existed” between protest groups and the police.
