Extra Bank Holiday confirmed to mark King Charles’ Coronation

The Government has announced an additional Bank Holiday to mark the Coronation of King Charles III next year.

Downing Street said the holiday will fall on Monday 8 May following the Coronation at Westminster Abbey two days earlier on Saturday 6 May, which will take place across the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that it will be an opportunity for families and communities across the country to come together to celebrate, as was the case with the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

The announcement follows calls from Tory MPs for the Government to either move the early May bank holiday from 1 May to coincide with the coronation weekend or to declare an extra day off.

Rishi, 42, said: “The coronation of a new monarch is a unique moment for our country. In recognition of this historic occasion, I am pleased to announce an additional bank holiday for the whole United Kingdom next year.

“I look forward to seeing people come together to celebrate and pay tribute to King Charles III by taking part in local and national events across the country in his honour.”

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, said: “The coronation combines the sacred and the solemn but it is also celebratory.

“This bank holiday will once again give people across the United Kingdom the opportunity to come together as families and communities to welcome His Majesty to the throne as we mark this important day in our nation’s long history.”

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The historic ceremony will formalise the proceedings and see Charles crowned the King alongside his wife Queen Consort Camilla in a service that is widely expected to be broadcast all around the world.

Rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry, the ceremony will still retain many of the iconic elements that have been part of every coronation dating back almost 1000 years.

However, Buckingham Palace has since revealed it will also "reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future”, something Charles himself has been passionate about as he bid to modernise the monarchy.

The coronation will be staged by the Duke of Norfolk, who also organised the late Queen’s funeral in September.

Additionally, Prince William is also expected to have a key role in planning the ceremony.

A number of family members and foreign dignitaries will be invited to attend the coronation, however it will be a much smaller scale affair than the Queen’s coronation back in 1953.

Guests lists have yet to be confirmed for the event, with doubts raised as to whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will make it to the UK from California as the coronation takes places on the same day that their son Archie will turn four.

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