Time to bring out the bunting! Coronation countdown begins

Time to bring out the bunting! Coronation countdown begins as buttons are polished, flowers are planted and flags are hung out with one week to go to the crowning of King Charles III

  • Brits are busy getting ready – with just a week to go until King Charles is crowned
  • Workers busily preparing the mall, as London gets ready to host the global event
  • Yesterday heavily protected Stone of Destiny was transported from Scotland 

Brits are busy polishing their buttons and hanging out their flags – with just a week to go until King Charles is crowned.

Workers are busily preparing the mall, as central London gets ready to host the global event on May 6.

Stores are already fully stocked with memorabilia, while the monarch’s image is plastered across shop windows and street stalls.

And across the country, communities are getting ready to celebrate the bank holiday and ring in his new reign in true British style.

It is set to be a weekend packed with celebration – in which more than a million are expected to enjoy street parties.

Stewards arrive at the Mall, which will be along the route of the King’s coronation procession

Stores are already fully stocked with memorabilia – from commemorative mugs to portraits of the King and the late Queen

A worker is busy painting the railings outside Westminster Abbey, where the King’s coronation will take place on May 6

Another admires his handiwork as he touches up the paintwork of Westminster Abbey’s furniture

Workmen grin as they make sure everything is in fine shape for the King’s procession

And in the capital the monarch’s image is plastered across shop windows and street stalls

READ MORE:  Coronation fever sweeps the UK! Royal bunting, flags, knitting and Paddington Bears pop up across the country with just days to go until King Charles’s big day

Yarn bombing has taken place in the village of Haydock, Merseyside

3,299 public events and 497 street parties have already been shared on the Government’s official map. 

Yesterday, with eight days to go, the historic Stone of Destiny left Scotland for London under tight security.

Also known as the Stone of Scone, monarchs have been crowned upon the ancient coronation stone for centuries.

According to myth, the ancient rock was used by the biblical Jacob as a pillow and later kept in King Solomon’s temple.

It was brought to England from Scotland on the orders of King Edward I in 1296.

In September, spoon bender Uri Geller urged Scotland to return the Coronation Chair – saying the relic would give his reign ‘positive power’.

This morning a photo of King Charles at Cambridge in 1967 was released for the first time – in a collection of snaps that reveal the monarch’s joyful years at the prestigeous university.

And yesterday we got a first look at an ornate, three sided screen that will sheild the King as he is annointed.

The ornamental piece will give him more privacy for the solemn moment than any other monarch before him.

Depicting a tree with 56 leaves representing the Commonwealth nations, the hand-sewn design on the front of the screen bears the King’s cypher at the base of the trunk showing the sovereign as a servant of the ‘family of nations’.

Today, there will be celebrations across the country – including a Coronation Celebration Concert in Bridport, Dorset, and a Victorian themed fete at Bourne Hall, south west London, while Kirkgate Shopping Centre in Bradford is holding its own event – complete with stilt-walking Union Jacks.

Thousands are expected to line the route of the coronation – with the Mall in both the outward and return journey to and from Westminster Abbey

A steward looks over the Mall, perhaps pondering the vast swathes of Brits gathering for the event in just seven days

Preparations are ongoing at Westminster Abbey, where vigilant police keep a close eye on the upcoming proceedings

The streets of London’s West End are decked with Union Jacks as the capital braces for a Bank Holiday bonanza

High street shops are getting into the swing of the coronation – as Marks and Spencer plasters shop fronts with bearskin-hatted, M&S-branded guards

Charles will be crowned as the UK’s reigning monarch on Saturday, 6 May at Westminster Abbey.

Although she was previously set to be known as Queen Consort, Camilla will also crowned as Queen at the ceremony.

In line with a tradition dating back centuries, King Charles III’s coronation ceremony will be held at Westminster Abbey.

The ceremony will begin at 11am, once the royals have completed their arrival procession from Buckingham Palace. People can line the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the royals, with huge crowds expected given the significance of the event.

The ceremony – which will be broadcast on the BBC – is believed to last about an hour, although exact details on the timings of service and its duration remain unclear. Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 took three hours. 

Following the ceremony, a return procession, following the same route back, will begin.

In the afternoon, 15 members of the royal family will gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the traditional fly-past to pay homage to Charles and Camilla.

A huge coronation banner covers the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square – decked with symbols of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland

Seating areas have been put in place to offer punters a view over the procession route

People walk by another viewing area constructed near Westminster Abbey, close to the Houses of Parliament

And more infrastructure is being added every day in the run up to the big event

A cafe proudly shows off a poster of the King – congratulating him on his new role

Royal souvenirs are being flogged in the streets, as street-hawkers prepare for a profitable weekend

Merchandise in shop windows may not be quite a match for the real thing – but seeing people get into the royal spirit is the event’s true crowning glory

Surely it’ll be stale in a week? Bakers are busy with coronation confectionary as more than a million are expected to celebrate with street parties

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