Royal Family invites public to share their favourite memory on first anniversary of King's coronation

May 06, 2024

The Royal Family has invited the public to share their favourite memory of the coronation on the first anniversary of the historic event.

In a post on X, the royal account said: "As well as the service itself, the coronation weekend saw a carriage procession through central London, a fly-past, a royal salute by 4,000 troops in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, a coronation concert at Windsor Castle and a UK-wide volunteering initiative."

Gun salutes were also heard across the capital on Monday in celebration of the anniversary, with 41 volleys fired at noon by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Green Park, and an hour later the Honourable Artillery Company fired a 62-gun salute from Tower Wharf - an extra 21 for the City of London.

Both regiments were responsible for firing the Coronation Guns to signal the exact moment the Crown touched the King's head during the ceremony in Westminster Abbey last May.

Gun salutes also took place at Scotland's Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff Castle in Wales and Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.

Charles and Camilla's coronation took place on 6 May - with thousands braving the rainy weather to take to the streets to watch their procession in the Gold State Coach.

The religious ceremony in London's Westminster Abbey was followed by a weekend of celebrations including a pop concert at Windsor, where royals including Prince George and Princess Charlotte danced the night away.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby marked the first anniversary by praising Charles' "sense of duty" as he returned to public-facing events following his cancer diagnosis.

The archbishop also said anointing and crowning Charles during the ceremony was the "privilege of a lifetime", and he paid tribute to the King's "openness in sharing his condition" - a "characteristic of his willingness to help and support others".

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On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace was the venue for the presentation of the Coronation Roll to the King and Queen, who viewed the document that recorded all the key events from the ceremony.

But amid the anniversary celebrations, protesters from anti-monarchy group Republic held a rally in Trafalgar Square on Sunday, shouting "abdicate, abdicate", in what demonstrators called the first Republic Day.

Two large yellow banners were hung in front of the National Gallery in central London that read "abolish the monarchy" and "change country for good".

Republic's chief executive Graham Smith said: "We need to challenge the monarchy and the royals because it is a corrupt institution - they are a lazy people, they have not earned their position and they need to be kicked out.

"We want a constitution and a system and a democracy that actually celebrates our very best principles and values," he added.

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