The journey to the Abbey, called the King’s Procession, will progress at a walk, with a much smaller following than the great cavalcade which follows later in the day. The crown on top is from HMS Victory and conceals a hidden ‘coachcam’ for a CCTV camera. It is a travelling museum of our history, with everything from fragments of the Stone of Destiny to slivers of the climber’s ladder which helped the conquerors of Everest to the summit in 1953. The newest addition to the Royal Mews, it is a masterpiece of engineering by Australian coachmaker Jim Frecklington. As a page to the King, Prince George will be lining up separately.Īt precisely 10.20am, the King and Queen will set off for the Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach. Last into the Abbey before Their Majesties will be the Prince and Princess of Wales with their two younger children. ‘Very limited toilet facilities’ inside will shut at 10am and will not reopen until 1.30pm.īy now, everyone will be glued to the royal arrivals, especially that of the Dukes of Sussex and York. Huw Edwards will be the BBC’s commentator inside the Abbey. From 9.30am, TV viewers will start to see heads of state, prime ministers (and British former prime ministers) and junior foreign royalty take their seats. Street-lining troops are now taking up their positions and will all be in place by 9.40am. Those along the route will effectively be locked in position as the processional route is declared ‘sterile’ from 9am onwards. Viewers will recognise some of the personal guests such as Ant and Dec or Lionel Richie, as well as the county representatives, the Lord-Lieutenants and a small cluster of MPs and peers drawn by lottery (with 50 seats for each chamber - and no plus ones).Īt 8.30am, ITV viewers will join Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham. All regular guests have been told to be seated by 9am. The last non-VIP guests will be taking their seats, even though there are still hours to go before the service begins. At 7.30am, BBC1 viewers will join Kirsty Young for the start of seven-and-a-half hours of non-stop coverage on both BBC1 and BBC2 (the latter with sign language). The 2,200 ticketed guests will already be filling the Abbey.

If you are coming by Tube (St James’s Park is shut all day), listen out for an unusual ‘Mind the Gap’ message - recorded by the King. The first guests will already be making their way to Westminster Abbey, ready for the 7.15am opening of extensive ticket and security checks. When the police decide the area is full, the gates will shut and people will be redirected to six public viewing areas, in Green Park, St James’s Park and Hyde Park.

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