Charles III broke the centuries-old tradition of the coronation of British monarchs

On Saturday 6 May, the coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom will take place at Westminster Abbey. Nearly 2,200 people have been invited to the historic event, which will be watched by millions of people around the world, including members of the royal family, representatives of the Church of England, prominent politicians from the UK and Commonwealth countries, as well as foreign heads of state and royals.

King Charles III opted for a smaller, shorter and more varied ceremony than the previous coronation, held in honor of his mother, Elizabeth II, in 1953. But the splendor of the event will be ensured – and not least thanks to the abundance of VIP guests.

First of all, members of the British royal family appear on the guest list. The ceremony will be attended by Prince William and his wife Kate (they hold the titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales under the current monarch), as well as the king’s two brothers and sister, Princess Anne.

As you know, after much deliberation, Prince Harry confirmed that he would come to his father’s coronation, but his wife Meghan remains in California – formally because the coronation falls on the birthday of their 4-year-old son, Prince Archie.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York is expected to attend the ceremony, but his ex-wife, the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, will not attend.

But the presence of their daughters – Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as well as the daughter of Princess Anne Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall – is expected.

The ceremony will be attended by the grandchildren of King Charles and Camilla. So, the son of Prince William and Kate, Prince George, who is second in line to the throne after his father, will become one of several “honorary pages”. He will help carry the long train of his grandfather’s robes down the aisle of Westminster Abbey during the festivities. The Queen Consort’s three grandsons, Gus and Louis Lopez, Freddie Parker Bowles and her great-nephew Arthur Elliot will play the same role and take part in the procession through Westminster Abbey.

Among the two thousand participants in the coronation will also be high-ranking political figures and world leaders. Of course, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must be present, as well as cabinet ministers and peers from the House of Lords. Former British Prime Ministers such as Liz Truss and Tony Blair, as well as the new First Minister of Scotland, Hamza Yusuf, are expected to attend the celebrations, according to reports.

French President Macron is among the expected foreign guests. Here it is worth recalling that the state visit of King Charles III to France was postponed in March due to protests there against Macron’s pension reform. And now, according to insiders, Macron has gathered in London to soften the embarrassment and demonstrate his “friendship, respect and deference” to the UK.

But back in April, American President Joe Biden made it clear to the British king that he himself would not come to his coronation, but promised to delegate First Lady Jill Biden instead. For this, the head of the White House “flew” from Donald Trump, who visited Scotland. The ex-president of the United States accused “Sleepy Joe” of disrespect for such an important event for the British. According to Trump, Biden, instead of going to London, will, as usual, sleep.

But Polish President Andrzej Duda and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albaniz said they plan to take part in the coronation events. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos are likely to come to London.

It is also expected that religious leaders and representatives from across the Commonwealth will take part in the celebrations.

Waiting in the British capital and members of foreign royal families. The full list has not yet been made public, but preliminary confirmations show that it will include representatives of nine European monarchies (they include Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene, King Philip of Spain and Queen Letizia, as well as King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, who will be accompanied by his daughter Crown Princess Victoria), of the royal families of Bhutan, Jordan, Tonga and Thailand; the Maori king of New Zealand; Imperial House of Japan; as well as the former royal houses of Bulgaria, Romania and Greece.

According to media reports, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who recently underwent extensive back surgery, will not attend the London celebrations, instead Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will arrive. The King and Queen of Norway will be represented by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The presence of the King of Bhutan is also promised. King of Jordan Abdullah II and his charming wife Queen Rania confirmed their participation in the celebrations. Sultans of Brunei and Oman are expected.

In fact, by inviting foreign crowned heads, Charles III went against tradition. “For centuries, tradition has dictated that no other crowned royalty should attend the coronation of a British monarch because the sacred ceremony is meant to be an intimate exchange between the monarch and his people in the presence of God,” explains The Mail on Sunday. “But as part of his plan to revamp the ceremony, King Charles decided to break away from the 900-year-old tradition by inviting his crowned friends, including members of European royalty and Arab rulers.”

Also expected to attend is European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who met with the British king over a tea party at Windsor Castle in February.

Along with titled persons, participation in coronation celebrations is also expected to be simpler people. King Charles and Camilla, for example, invited 850 members of the public to the ceremony in recognition of their philanthropic work. These are, in particular, 450 people awarded the medal of the British Empire.

There were rumors about whether any of the famous friends of the king and queen consort would be invited to the coronation. British Vogue editor Edward Enninful and singer Lionel Richie are expected to attend. There were rumors that David and Victoria Beckham might be on the guest list.

Read also: Trump criticized Meghan Markle and Biden because of the British coronation