6 thousand soldiers and £250 million for the ceremony: what you need to know about the coronation of Charles III

On May 6, a historic event will take place - the coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla. The ceremony will traditionally take place at Westminster Abbey in London. It will start at 13:00 Kyiv time. For the first time since 1902, the event will take place on a weekend rather than a weekday, so the British will go to work on Tuesday, May 9, instead of Monday.

OBOZREVATEL will tell you some impressive facts about the upcoming coronation of Charles, which, by the way, is considered the most expensive in history. Due to large-scale security measures, the cost of the coronation has increased from £100 million to £250 million (12 billion hryvnias). For comparison, the ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II cost £1.57 million, which is equivalent to £46 million today.

Interesting facts about the coronation

1. In total, about 6,000 members of the British Armed Forces will be involved in the ceremony on May 6.

2. During the service, Charles III will wear the crown of St Edward, which was made in 1661. It weighs 4 pounds 12 ounces (2.2 kilograms) and is made of solid gold.

3. While over 8000 people attended the Queen's coronation, only 2000 people are expected to attend His Majesty's coronation.

4. The monarch personally chose the music for the ceremony, which includes 12 new pieces, including an anthem written by American composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Part of the service will be performed in Welsh. The soloists will include the world-famous Welsh opera singer Sir Bryn Terfel.

5. Camilla will be crowned wearing Queen Mary's crown, made for the 1911 ceremony. It will be modified: the world's most famous and largest diamond, the Kohinoor, will be removed.

6. The Royal House of Great Britain is the only European house that has kept the tradition of coronation for more than 1,000 years. However, Charles's coronation will be on a smaller scale than his mother's in 1953.

7. Prince Harry will still come to the coronation, but his wife Meghan Markle and their two children will stay in California.

Recall that on Sunday, May 7, a concert and laser show will take place at Windsor Castle. Traditionally, street parties are planned. Elton John, the Spice Girls, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and Adele have all cancelled their performances in Windsor. They cited a busy tour schedule.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL wrote that the leaders of 7 countries were not invited to the ceremony. Read our article to find out which countries, apart from Russia, Iran and Belarus, were blacklisted.

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