Today King Charles III. crowned

At 74, Charles is the oldest British monarch in history to be crowned. The ceremony is meticulously planned and has remained unchanged for more than 1000 years. However, the king adapts to the modern age in terms of length and shortens the process from three to one hour.

The weather could not be planned – the anticipation of the coronation had been overshadowed by concerns about bad weather. According to the BBC weather forecast, there was a 70 percent chance of rain in the London Borough of Westminster at midday today, which is unlikely to dampen the enthusiasm of royal fans.

“Family Lineup” of the Royals

The coronation of King Charles is not only a once-in-a-century experience for the British. The royal family has also been looking forward to this historic moment for weeks. And one in particular: Prince George (9), who will accompany his grandfather as a page of honour. Prince Harry (38) arrived from the USA – as announced without his wife Duchess Meghan (41).

Yesterday afternoon, after the many quarrels of the past few years, a conciliatory conversation is said to have taken place between King Charles and his younger son Harry. Tomorrow will certainly be a challenge for the prince. It is not yet clear how he will face his brother, Crown Prince William (40) and his sister-in-law Princess Kate (41). Millions of television viewers around the world will be able to follow these scenes live.

• ZIB 1: Preparations for the coronation of King Charles III

More than 2,200 guests from 130 different countries are invited to the ceremony in London’s Westminster Abbey, including around 100 heads of state and representatives of other royal houses. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer will represent Austria.

• ZIB 1: Jörg Winter (ORF) from London informed the day before the coronation.

US President Joe Biden is represented by First Lady Jill Biden – however, no US head of state has ever attended a coronation. For the coronation of King Charles III. Many representatives of European royal families are expected, including Prince Albert and Princess Charlène 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, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife Queen Máxima.

The celebration lasts three days

Tomorrow there will be a big concert with numerous star guests at Windsor Castle, in which Take That, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Andrea Bocelli will take part. Also announced are performances by singer Paloma Faith, musician Olly Murs, pop star Tom Jones, actress Joan Collins, Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, musician Steve Winwood and pianist Lang Lang.

According to the organizer, Hollywood star Tom Cruise and the comic book character “Winnie-the-Pooh” should play a role. 20,000 guests are expected at this event, which will be broadcast live by the BBC.

The Schedule

• Less guests – shorter route: Today’s coronation of King Charles III. is much more modest than that of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. And instead of the almost 30,000 military personnel at the ceremony for the Queen at the time, only about 7000 will be on their feet with their son.
• 8.15 a.m. to 8.30 a.m.: Arrival of the first guests at Westminster Abbey
• 10 O `clock: The guests in the Abbey take their places.
• 10.30 a.m. to 11.45 a.m.: Arrival of Heads of State and Government, senior British politicians and members of the Royal Family.
• 10.45 a.m.: The royal escort gathers at Buckingham Palace.
• 11.20 a.m.: The procession with King Charles III. and King Consort Camilla starts on
  Buckingham Palace.
• 11.50 a.m.: King Charles and Camilla arrive at Westminster Abbey.
• 12 o’clock: Invasion Charles and Camilla, the
  worship begins.
• 13 o’clock: coronation
• 14 o’clock: The service ends, after which Charles and Camilla return to the palace in the coronation procession.
• 2.30 p.m.: Arrival of Charles and Camilla at the Palace.
• 2.45 p.m.: Royal salute in the palace garden
• Around 3:15 p.m.: The royal family – minus Prince Harry – appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. An aerobatic squadron flies over the city palace.

Van der Bellen represents Austria in London

Green meets green: Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen represents Austria at the coronation of King Charles III. in London. The Brit, who has been campaigning for organic farming for decades, and the former leader of the Greens met in Vienna in 2017.

“In terms of content, we are particularly united by our commitment to fighting the climate crisis,” says Van der Bellen. The Federal President is also using his stay in London to find out about life for Austrians living abroad in Great Britain after Brexit.