Six of London’s top royal sites with a coronation connection
On Saturday, May 6, King Charles III becomes the 40th monarch crowned at Westminster Abbey. Here are six of the key locations with royal connections in London to check out on your next visit.
Westminster Abbey
Visitors will be able to stand on the exact coronation spot at Westminster Abbey (without shoes). Credit: Getty Images
Upholding a tradition that began with William the Conqueror in AD1066, King Charles III will be the 40th monarch crowned at Westminster Abbey. After the big day, new “barefoot” tours are being launched, allowing visitors to shuffle across the exact coronation spot in their socks. The restored medieval mosaic floor, known as the Cosmati pavement, will have the 700-year-old oak Coronation Chair placed on it during the ceremony for His Majesty and Queen Consort Camilla. Expect to hear intriguing royal (and non-royal) yarns from the guides at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed abbey, one of a cluster of coronation pilgrimage sites in London.
See westminster-abbey.org and britishpilgrimage.org
Tower Of London
The Tower of London is home to the Crown Jewels, which will come out for the coronation.Credit: iStock
Regalia donned by the King at the coronation - including the ruby-and-sapphire-studded St Edward’s Crown - will be drawn from the Crown Jewels, which are usually safely stored and on display at the Tower of London. Perched by the River Thames, this UNESCO-rated royal fortress, palace and one-time prison has other treasure-packed galleries, raven-dotted courtyards and a new wildflower garden, planted in the moat ahead of the Platinum Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Let the tower’s flamboyantly-dressed Yeoman Warders, nicknamed “Beefeaters”, show you around.
See hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london
St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral’s dome offers spectacular views of the city.
Rebuilt in Baroque-inspired style by Sir Christopher Wren after the 1666 Great Fire of London, St Paul’s Cathedral has staged numerous royal celebrations, including a service for Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee, and the wedding of the then-Prince Charles and Diana Spencer in 1981. Last September, the national anthem, God Save the King, rang around the cathedral for the first time in seven decades after Charles III ascended the throne following his mother’s death. Attend a service here or soak up the building’s history and splendour on a (guided or self-guided) tour, then scale its huge dome for spectacular London views.
See stpauls.co.uk
Buckingham Palace
The Mall heading towards Buckingham Palace.
Crowds will be clamouring for a glimpse of the coronation pageantry along The Mall, a tree-lined processional route between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, the King’s official London residence. Charles, Camilla and other royals are likely to step out onto the palace’s famous balcony to wave at well-wishers.
The public can get a peek inside, at the palace’s lavish State Rooms on special summer tours (July 14-September 24, 2023).
Weather-permitting, you can watch the ceremonial Changing of the Guard year-round in front of the palace. It’s at 11am, daily in summer, and on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday in other seasons.
See rct.uk/visit/buckingham-palace
Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens back on to Kensington Palace, now the official London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William).
The royal parks will be a magnet for picnickers over the coronation weekend. Compact St James’s Park and Green Park will be rammed, but patches of grass are usually easier to come by in the larger Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
The latter backs onto Kensington Palace, birthplace of Queen Victoria and now the official London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William). Visitors can walk through its elegant state apartments year-round, while the palace’s biggest-ever exhibition, From Crown to Couture (until October 29), flaunts eclectic fashions, including a gown from the court of King Charles II and a luminous green dress worn by Lady Gaga.
See hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall will host coronation concerts for King Charles III.
South of Kensington Gardens, Queen Victoria had this majestic venue built in honour of her late husband, Prince Albert. Crowned by a glass-and-iron dome, it will host coronation concerts for King Charles III on May 6 and 7, but it’s always worth a visit. Performances at the Royal Albert Hall range from rock gigs to the Proms, an eight-week summer festival of classical music, while tours highlight its ravishing decor and absorbing past. Not just a music hub, it has also staged bodybuilding contests, a Sumo wrestling tournament and even a seance for Sherlock Holmes creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
See royalalberthall.com
Steve McKenna was a guest of Visit Britain (visitbritain.com).
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