It’s an event of the century.
On Saturday King Charles III. (74) and his wife Camilla (75) in London’s Westminster Abbey. Around 2200 guests were invited to this historic event on May 6th. At the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, 8,000 guests attended the ceremony. But the royals also have to save. The personalized invitation is a great honor for some, while others prefer to stay away from the event.
BILD gives an overview of who to expect at the weekend and who to look out for in vain.
This is the official coronation invitation sent out by the palace
The Royal Family
With great excitement is the appearance of Prince Harry (38) expected. It is King Charles’ youngest son’s first reunion with the family since he wrote his scandalous biography released “Spare” in January. In the book he accused the royal family of racism, among other things, and attacked his brother and stepmother Camilla. Charles III it was still important that his son be present on this historic day. Harry’s wife, Duchess Meghan (41) with her two children Archie (3) and Lilibet (1) prefers to stay away from the ceremony.
Prince Harry travels alone from the USA to the coronation in London.
Sarah Ferguson (63), the ex-wife of Charles Brother Andrew (63), will not be there either. The Duchess of York was not even invited and will follow the action in front of the television. She bears it with composure. “I’m not invited because it’s a state event. When you’re divorced, you can’t have both. When you’re out, you’re out,” she said on British broadcaster ITV’s breakfast show.
The heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Kate. The next coronation in England will probably be hers
Other members of the House of Windsor will be there, including:
– Prince William (40) and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales (41) and their children Prince George (9), Princess Charlotte (8) and Prince Louis (5). the eldest son, Prince George, who is second in line to the throne, will be one of the page honours.
– Charles’ sister Princess Anne (72) and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence (68)
– Charles’ youngest brother Prince Edward (59) with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, (58) and their children Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (19) and James, Earl of Wessex, (15)
– Charles’ brother Prince Andrew (63), who is no longer officially allowed to represent the royal family after allegations of sexual abuse were settled out of court.
– Andrew’s daughter Beatrice (34) with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (39) and Andrew’s younger daughter Eugenie (33) with husband Jack Brooksbank (37)
– Princess Anne’s children, their daughter Zara l (41) with husband Mike Tindall (44) and Anne’s son Peter Phillips (45)
– Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (87), he was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and second uncle of Charles III. He is currently the oldest living member of the British royal family.
Prince Albert of Monaco and his wife Charlène are also expected in London
Foreign royals
Charles III breaks with tradition at his coronation in Westminster Abbey. Until now, it has not been customary for other crowned heads of state to attend the ceremony. At the coronation of Elizabeth II, King Salote Tupou III was of Tonga one of the few foreign monarchs present in London. It will be different this time. Expected are among others:
– Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco
– Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark with his wife Crown Princess Mary
– King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden with his daughter Crown Princess Victoria
– King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
– Hereditary Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
– Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit
– King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife Queen Maxima
– Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and her son Crown Prince Pavlos
– King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Mathilde
– Crown Prince Akishino of Japan with his wife Crown Princess Kiko
– King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u of Tonga
Camilla’s Family
While members of Queen Camille’s family have not yet been publicly confirmed to be attending, it is certain that her children, Tom Parker Bowles, 48, and Laura Lopes, 48, will be there. Also expected are her sister Annabel Elliot, 74, nieces Alice Irwin, Katie Elliot and Ayesha Shand, and nephew Ben Elliot. Three of her grandchildren and one of her grandnephews will serve as honorary pages. Also her ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles will likely be present.
Queen Camilla with her children Tom and Laura
heads of state and government
In addition to the current British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (42), the seven former Prime Ministers who are still alive are expected: Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Major. There will also be 100 heads of state and government from all over the world. Many representatives from the Commonwealth States have also confirmed their participation.
First-Lady Jill Biden will represent the USA. Her husband US President Biden will not be flying to London
However, US President Joe Biden will not attend the ceremony, but his wife First Lady Jill will. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also canceled in the meantime. Representatives from Russia, Belarus and Iran were not invited. The confirmed guest list includes:
– Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
– French President Emmanuel Macron
– Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
– Poland’s President Andrzej Duda
– Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella
– China’s new vice president Han Zheng
– Ireland’s President Michael Higgins
– EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
– The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Jane Mohammed
– Czech President Petr Pavel
– Brasiliens President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
– Austria’s Federal President Alexander van der Bellen
– Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French President Emmanuel Macron will meet again in London on Saturday
celebrities
A few selected celebrities will also be seen at the coronation service in the church:
– Fashion designer Stella McCartney
– Singer Lionel Richie
– Komiker Rowan Atkinson („Mr. Bean“)
– Musician Nick Cave
Known and appreciated for his typically British humor: Rowan Atkinson is among the guests
And in addition to the many prominent personalities from politics, royal families and show business, several hundred citizens are allowed to attend the coronation ceremony in the church. During the selection, attention was paid to whether they had distinguished themselves through a special honorary commitment or through merits in the army.
But for everyone it will probably be an unforgettable experience on Saturday.