Coronation will see largest ceremonial display of armed forces in a generation
The King and Queen Consort's coronation will see the biggest military ceremonial operation in 70 years, with more than 6,000 men and women of the armed forces taking part.
Sailors, soldiers, and aviators from across the UK and the breadth of the Commonwealth will accompany Charles and Camilla to and from Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Later in the day, there will be a six-minute flypast of more than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force – flying over The Mall in central London.
In all corners of the Union – including at firing stations in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast – gun salutes will take place to herald the moment the King is crowned.
Featuring more than 400 personnel, across 13 locations and deployed Royal Navy ships, 21 rounds will fire to mark the coronation with the exception of the Tower of London and Horse Guards Parade, where a 62-round salute and a six-gun salvo will fire respectively.
Nearly 400 armed forces personnel from at least 35 Commonwealth countries will also be on parade to mark the historic moment.
For the flypast through the skies of London, which will be watched by members of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team – the Red Arrows – will follow dozens of aircraft used by the armed forces on operations around the world.
Featured amongst the aerial procession will be aircraft that have delivered support to Ukraine, policed Nato airspace, supported disaster relief, deterred drug trafficking and countered terrorism in the Middle East and Africa.
Included will be 16 helicopters, the historic Spitfires of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAF’s brand-new P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, Joint RAF and RN crewed state-of-the art F-35B Lightning II jets and transport aircraft from the RAF’s Air Mobility Force.
It will feature the first flypast involvement of the RAF’s new Envoy IV CC1 aircraft.
For the procession, around 5,000 armed forces personnel will accompany the King in two separate parades.
The first, the King’s Procession, will be the smaller in scale of the two and will feature just under 200 members, centred around The Sovereign’s Escort of The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
The second, the coronation procession, will follow the same route back to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey, and will represent the diversity and traditions of the UK and Commonwealth armed forces, featuring nearly 4,000 personnel.
It is expected to be the largest military ceremonial operation of its kind for a generation.
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