Local people have loaned their coronation memorabilia for a special display, new exhibitions celebrate our Royal connections, there’s a musical appearance at the Coronation Prom in the Royal Albert Hall, more coronation-themed music events, coronation family fun, live screenings and special services and tea parties to honour volunteers for The Big Help Out.
Coronation at a Cathedral near you
Just some of the ways our cathedrals will celebrate the Coronation and you can join in too. Please check individual websites for up-to-date details.
The Coronation service will begin at 11am at Westminster Abbey – the start of a weekend of events to mark this historic occasion.
St Edmundsbury Cathedral has announced its Music Development Director Richard Hubbard has composed an arrangement of the hymn Crown Him With Many Crowns, which will be performed at the Coronation Prom at Royal Albert Hall on Coronation Day, Saturday 6 May which is expected to be filled with 5,000 people to hear a celebration of the King of Kings with the 120-piece All Souls Orchestra, and a 320-voice choir.
Ring for the King and a Prayer for the Coronation can be found here.
Richard said:
“It’s a great honour to have my arrangement played at the Royal Albert Hall on this once-in-a-generation occasion. My aim has been to make the orchestration highlight the words – to bring them to life in a new way that will inspire people to worship as they sing”.
You can watch the whole concert live here.
Streaming starts at 7pm with behind-the-scenes interviews and celebrity guests, leading into the concert itself at 7.30pm. Thereafter it will be available here.
St Eds will host a Civic service for the Coronation, a coronation picnic and a Coronation concert to mark this historic event.
Memorabilia from previous coronations collected by local people has gone on display in Exeter Cathedral in a new exhibition to celebrate the crowning of our new King.
An order of service from Queen Elizabeth 11’s coronation, replica Crown Jewels and drapes from Westminster Abbey commissioned for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937 have been loaned by members of the public from across Devon for this special exhibition which opened at the weekend.
Jonathan Scott, Heritage Engagement Manager at Exeter Cathedral said:
“We were keen to tell the Coronation stories of the people of Devon, and we have had an amazing response from our call out for contributions. We have been able to bring together a fascinating and wide range of objects that tell these stories.”
There’s a special Evensong on Friday to mark the Coronation and the cathedral will also host a Coronation Service of Celebration on Sunday.
Find out more about the Coronation and Our County exhibition and how to join in the Coronation Service of Celebration.
There’ll be a large outdoor screen to broadcast the Coronation Parade and Ceremony live outside Chichester Cathedral with deckchairs for people to gather for picnics and themed arts, crafts, games and face painting for children to enjoy.
Special prayers will be said over the weekend and there’s a service on Sunday for people to join in and then on Monday visitors are invited to come and volunteer to help dust, shine the brasses, and deep clean the choir stalls to mark The Big Help Out Day.
Volunteering will be celebrated at a special service in Gloucester Cathedral on The Big Help Out Day. The service will highlight the positive impact of volunteering organisations across the city, county and diocese, and volunteers are particularly welcome so that their hard work can be celebrated.
Throughout May, the Cathedral is offering visitors ‘Royal Connections Guided Tours’ to show the Cathedral’s many royal links throughout history, including being the burial place of King Edward II and the Coronation place of King Henry III in 1216 and the ‘Coronation Chair’ – which will feature in the Coronation on 6 May – was stored in the Crypt of the Cathedral to prevent it being damaged during the air raids of the Second World War.
There are selfie opportunities and chances to dress up to remember this exciting time in our history as well as services and music for the Coronation weekend.
The Very Revd Andrew Zihni, Dean of Gloucester, said:
“As a community, we are much looking forward to the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort. This is a historic moment in the story of our nation, which will be an important opportunity for us all to reflect on our past, to celebrate the rich diversity of who we are, and to look with hope to our future.
There will be a live screening of the Coronation inside Truro Cathedral which will also host children’s activities on the day.
On Sunday afternoon there will be a parade through the city centre, followed by the civic service in Truro Cathedra led by the Kernow Pipes and Drums and will be led by civic leaders including the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, the Bishop of Truro, and the Interim Dean of Truro.
The procession will culminate on the High Cross before the start of the civic service. The service will feature the cathedral choir, which will include the girl choristers who have been invited to sing at the Coronation service in Westminster Abbey on the day before. This service is open to all, and it will also be livestreamed.
There’s a volunteer thank you tea party held in the cathedral on The Big Help Out Day.
Wakefield Cathedral is starting the Coronation weekend with a special Coronation-themed concert on Friday evening which will also include rousing numbers such as Jerusalem and The National Anthem.
The Interim Director of Music James Bowstead said:
“Some of the greatest and most famous choral music ever written has been composed for or performed at coronations of British monarchs going back centuries and the coronation of King Charles III will be no exception, with no fewer than twelve new compositions having been commissioned for the ceremony, alongside traditional works performed at previous coronations.
“This concert will be a fantastic opportunity to hear the cathedral choir performing a wide range of music with a royal connection, including some of those traditional pieces which will be heard at the Coronation itself the next day.”
For more information about Wakefield Cathedral’s Coronation events, please click here.
All our coronation news can be found here.
All our cathedrals are offering special events and worship over the Coronation weekend. Please check your local cathedral for up-to-date details.
