New details about coronation released - including who will get front row seat at palace

April 15, 2023

King Charles is giving veterans and NHS workers a prime viewing spot for his coronation, in what is set to be the largest ceremonial military operation in 70 years.

More than 6,000 men and women from the UK's Armed Forces will take part in the historic royal event.

Read more: The ultimate guide to the King's coronation

Sailors, soldiers and aviators will accompany the King and Queen Consort to and from Westminster Abbey, where the coronation service will take place on 6 May.

Nearly 400 personnel from at least 35 Commonwealth countries will also be on parade to mark the milestone.

Later in the day, military personnel will conduct a six-minute flypast of more than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force - flying over The Mall in central London.

Featured among the aerial procession will be aircraft that have delivered support to Ukraine, policed NATO airspace, supported disaster relief, deterred drug trafficking and countered terrorism in the Middle East and Africa.

A front-row seat to the royal procession

Meanwhile, veterans and NHS workers will be seated in 3,800 seats in a specially built grandstand in front of Buckingham Palace.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the seats have been offered to these public servants "as a mark of the nation's profound gratitude".

Representatives of charitable organisations with links to the Royal Family will also be offered seats, while another 354 uniformed cadet forces will be given the chance to watch the coronation procession at Admiralty Arch.

The coveted spots mean they will get a special view of key moments including the processions, the appearance of the Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony, and the Armed Forces flypast.

They will also get to see the King and Queen Consort travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach drawn by six Windsor Grey horses, accompanied by The Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

The royal couple will travel back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.

Invites from the Royal British Legion and individuals or organisations that have contributed to the government's Veterans Strategy have gone out to the veterans who will be at the Buckingham Palace site.

Where can you watch the day's events?

London is expected to be packed with royal fans and big screens across the major parks, so the public can follow the ceremony live.

More than 57 locations across the UK will have big screens enabling over 100,000 people to watch in their hometowns, according to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Screens in St James's Park will also show the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on 7 May.

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Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie are among musical acts on the "world-class" line-up.

The DCMS said there will be an accessible viewing space along the north side of The Mall and at all screen sites in London.

Accessible viewing spaces for the people watching the concert on the big screen at St James's Park are also available.

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