Who is going to the coronation of Charles III? Who’s on the guest list and who won’t attend?
After 70 years, Britain will witness the coronation of a new monarch. The guest list is much shorter than the previous one in 1953, numbering only 2,300.
May 6 marks the day when King Charles will be formally inaugurated as as Britain’s monarch, while his wife Camilla will be crowned the queen consort.
Coronation celebrations will take place over three days, with guests flying in from all over the world to witness the event. The king wanted a scaled-down coronation, so the guest list was pared down to a little more than 2,000, much less than the 8.000 attendees when the late Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953.
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Who are going to the coronation of King Charles?
Like previous coronations, a wide range of important figures from within and outside the United Kingdom. Various dignitaries and officials will be present for the ceremony. However, unlike previous royal events, this weekend’s celebration will have less aristocratic or titled invitees and more members of the general public, in line with the King’s wish that the guest list be more inclusive and reflective of the times.
Although Buckingham Palace has not released an official guest list, these are the people who are expected to grace the event.
The Royal Family
Most of the British royal family will attend the ceremony, although the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of York will miss the service.
All three of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ children will be there, and Prince George will be one of his grandfather’s four Pages of Honor.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and the Duke of York, who are no longer working royals, will attend the service on Saturday, but won’t play a role in the ceremony. Harry’s wife Meghan will stay in California with their children.
Foreign monarchs
King Charles is breaking with a 900-year tradition which dictates that no other crowned royals be present at the coronation ceremony. Royalty from other countries who have confirmed their attendance include Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco.
Foreign and British leaders
US President Joe Biden will not be at the crowning, but he will be represented by First Lady Jill Biden. French president Emmanuel Macron will be at the event, along with Germany and Italy’s ceremonial presidents Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella. Chinese vice-president Han Zheng, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif will also be present.
Celebrities
Singer-songwriter Lionel Richie, TV presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades, and comedic actor Rowan Atkinson are among the famous faces expected to be at the coronation
Community representatives
More than 800 representatives of communities, organizations, and charities from all over the United Kingdom have been invited. They include 450 British Empire Medal recipients and 400 young people from groups handpicked by the Royal Family.
Who won’t attend King Charles’ coronation?
Aside from President Biden and the Duchess of Sussex, some other personalities will not be attending the coronation. In the case of other leaders, it’s because they were not issued invitations. Among the countries not invited to send representatives to the event are Russia, Belarus, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, and Venezuela.