King Charles.Photo: Jacob King - WPA Pool / Getty
Royals from around the world are celebratingKing Charles’historic coronation!
On Friday evening, the King stepped out for a special reception for overseas guests at Buckingham Palace to mark the coronation weekend. King Charles and Queen Camilla will be crowned on Saturday in a glittering ceremony atWestminster Abbeybefore 2,200 guests.
King Charles, 74, mingled with members of foreign royal families who traveled to the U.K. for the crowning ceremony.
Attendees of the reception included Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco,Crown Prince FrederikandCrown Princess Maryof Denmark, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, King Jigme Kesar and Queen Jetsun of Bhutan, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, former queen Princess Beatrix and future queen Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, King Philippe and his heir Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, King Carl XVI Gustaf and his heirCrown Princess Victoriaof Sweden, King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan, Queen Suthida and King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand and more.
Several foreign monarchs will be at the coronation, marking a change in past guest lists. Monarchs from other countries typically did not attend a British king or queen’s crowning ceremony — instead, they would send heirs, consorts or other family members to represent them.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.Jacob King / POOL / AF/Getty
King Charles' crowning ceremony will be more modest than his mother Queen Elizabeth’s coronation service in 1953, 70 years ago. An estimated 2,200 guests will pour into Westminster Abbey’s pews on May 6, while 8,251 people attendedQueen Elizabeth’s ceremony.
The congregation at Westminster Abbey will also be made up of hundreds ofcommunity and charity representatives.
Crown Princess Victoria and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.Samir Hussein/WireImage
Though Charles became King immediately upon the death of his motherQueen Elizabethin September, his symbolic crowning formalizes his royal role.
“Charles became King Charles the moment his mother died, but the coronation is to do with the job and being the monarch in the eyes of all the people,” royal historian Robert Lacey previously told PEOPLE.
After the coronation at Westminster Abbey, the King and Queen will ride back to Buckingham Palace in theGold State Coach, taking horse-drawn transport for a processional parade of 1.3 miles. The royal couple will then come out the palace balcony, momentous as their first appearance there of the new reign.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.Samir Hussein/WireImage
King Charles and Queen Camilla will continue celebrating Sunday at theCoronation Concert, broadcast live from Windsor Castle, with other members of the royal family.Lionel Richie,Katy Perry,Andrea Bocelliand more will ignite the night with powerful performances, as iconic landmarks are illuminated across the U.K.
The luminary tribute will honor tradition, asQueen Elizabethflicked on the “lights of London” after appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony on her own coronation day in 1953.
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco.Samir Hussein/WireImage
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source: people.com
