Buckingham Palace revealed the date of the crowning ceremony for the new Kingon Tuesday, announcing that the event will take place Saturday, May 6, 2023,at Westminster Abbey in London, where British monarchs have been crowned forthe last 900 years.
The date is earlier than widely speculated — many believed that King Charleswould pick June 2 as a tribute to the day when Queen Elizabeth had hercoronation in 1953.
Following nearly a thousand years of tradition, the service will be conductedby the Archbishop of Canterbury. The palace also confirmed that Charles, 73,will be crowned alongside his wife, Queen Camilla.
“The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards thefuture, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,”Buckingham Palace said.
RELATED: Is King Charles Planning a Scaled-Back Coronation? How It MayDiffer from Queen Elizabeth’s Ceremony
King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort take part in an address inWestminster Hall
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
The update comes one month after the death of Queen Elizabeth, who died”peacefully” at age 96 on Sept. 8. Though Charles succeeded his mother asmonarch immediately upon her death and was formally proclaimed King by theAccession Council on Sept. 9, his coronation did not take place immediately torespect a period of mourning as well as to allow time for preparations for theceremony.
“Charles became King Charles the moment his mother died, but the coronation isto do with the job and being the monarch in the eyes of all the people,” royalhistorian Robert Lacey tells PEOPLE of the upcoming service.
King Charles’ coronation will be shorter and simpler than the late Queen’sceremony of 1953, PEOPLE understands.
While 8,000 people packed into stands for Queen Elizabeth’s three-hourcoronation in 1953, her son will reportedly trim the guest list to WestminsterAbbey’s actual capacity of 2,000 for an hour-long ceremony.
Story continues
Interior of Westminster Abbey (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1987), London,England, United Kingdom.
De Agostini via Getty
Though Charles has allegedly nixed some ancient rituals to meet the modernworld, Lacey expects that the new sovereign will still emphasize the religioussignificance of the coronation ritual, which is, at heart, a spiritualservice.
“I would imagine the coronation ceremony will have much more interfaithquality to it,” the historian adds, pointing to the King’s deep interest ininterfaith relations.
Though Elizabeth became Queen following her father’s death on Feb. 6, 1952,her coronation was not held until 16 months later. On June 3, 1953, QueenElizabeth was formally crowned at Westminster Abbey in a grand ceremony thatdrew 27 million television viewers — understandably so, as the firstcoronation ever to be broadcast. Her husband, Prince Philip, was instrumentalin organizing the investiture as chair of the Coronation Committee and pushedfor it to be televised as a way to bring the monarchy to the masses.
RELATED: Everything to Know About King Charles III’s Accession to theThrone
The Coronation
Fox Photos/Getty Images Prince Philip bows to his wife, Queen Elizabeth, ather Coronation
The young Queen, then 27, traveled to the medieval church in fairytale style,and three million people packed the streets to see her go by in a goldenhorse-drawn carriage. She arrived at Westminster in a white duchess satindress stitched with symbolism by Sir Norman Hartnell, who designed her weddinggown six years before.
The three-hour ceremony commenced before guests including then-Prime MinisterWinston Churchill, representatives from 129 countries, members of other royalfamilies and the future King. Charles, who was just 4 at the time, watched ashis mother solemnly took the Coronation Oath, making him the first heirapparent of a Queen to attend a coronation.
Coronation Boredom
Topical Press Agency/Getty Images The Queen Mother, Prince Charles andPrincess Margaret
The Archbishop of Canterbury bequeathed the new Queen with St. Edward’s Crown.Other pieces of the Coronation Regalia were also used during the ritual,including the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross, the Sovereign’s Orb and theCoronation Spoon.
Unlike previous coronations, Queen Elizabeth was the only person crowned.Prince Philip, then 31, was not a King Consort like the Queen Mother had beena Queen Consort — instead, the proper title for the husband of a rulingmonarch is “Prince Consort.” However, following the Archbishop of Canterbury,Philip was the first person to pay homage to the new monarch.
can ‘t get enough of _PEOPLE ‘ s Royal coverage?_ ** Sign up for ourfree Royals newsletter ** to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton,Meghan Markle and more!
Coronation Coach
Fox Photos/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth in her Coronation carriage
Departing Westminster Abbey, the Queen swapped the nearly 5-lb. St. Edward’sCrown for the Imperial State Crown, lighter at 3 lb. Her gilded carriage tooka winding route from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace, allowing for the maximumamount of people to get a glimpse of the new monarch.
During the radio broadcast of her coronation speech, the Queen pledged herlifelong devotion to the people of the Commonwealth.
“The ceremonies you have seen today are ancient, and some of their origins areveiled in the mists of the past,” Elizabeth said. “But their spirit and theirmeaning shine through the ages never, perhaps, more brightly than now. I havein sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged tomine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthyof your trust.”
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip wave from Buckingham Palace.
Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty
The exciting day ended with the traditional appearance of the royal family onthe balcony of Buckingham Palace. A Royal Air Force flypast flew over theMall, despite rain clouds.
After the sun went down, fireworks lit up the London sky over the Thames.