6 things to know about King Charles III’s coronation

Grab your fascinator and set aside some scones. Royal fans and corgi lovers alike will gather Saturday to watch the coronation of King Charles III, the former prince of Wales.

As Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son, Charles became king after the queen’s September death at age 96 following a 70-year reign. Saturday’s coronation is a historic moment meant to celebrate his succession to the throne.

» READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth II was the first sitting British monarch to visit Philly. Here’s what happened when she did.

British coronation ceremonies have been taking place for centuries and plenty of traditions have formed. When Charles heads from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, much of his ceremony will shake out the same way others have. But, as noted by The New York Times, there will be some adjustments.

Aligning with Charles’ goal for a smaller and more modern monarchy, his ceremony will be shorter, less expensive, and will host fewer guests than the two most recent coronations — George VI in 1937 and Elizabeth II in 1953.

While America’s fascination with royalty is niche at best, highly publicized royal drama — like the fallout between the royal family and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — has brought more attention to all things monarchy.

Over 29 million U.S. viewers watched their royal wedding broadcast in 2018. The couple’s bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah, the 2022 Netflix special Harry & Meghan, and Harry’s book release earlier this year gained a national spotlight as the duke and duchess of Sussex went into detail about a family they say exploited them and treated them poorly.

» READ MORE: 5 things to know about Prince Harry's new 'Spare' memoir

Still, you may have questions about the coronation — or you have a royal-obsessed friend who expects you to know something about the historic day. We have you covered. Here are six things to know.

The coronation service is on Saturday, May 6, and will start at 11 a.m. London time. For Americans, that means a 6 a.m. start time on the East Coast or 3 a.m. on the West Coast.

The coronation is a celebratory affair across Britain with pubs staying open extra late for added toasting time and a bank holiday the following Monday. A party map posted by the monarchy — yes, for real — shows over 3,800 public celebrations are scheduled.

For viewers on our side of the pond, the broadcast typically shows the king and queen’s journey from their Buckingham Palace throne to Westminster Abbey. It’s known as the King’s Procession — a really fancy name for a royal parade.

At the ceremony, the pair will be crowned in front of a crowd of about 2,000 VIPs. As noted by the Times, the guest list mainly includes members of the royal family along with a small group of former prime ministers, members of Parliament, world leaders, foreign monarchs, and faith leaders.

Jill Biden attended the coronation, along with Finnegan Biden, one of her granddaughters.

And if you’re wondering what the playlist is like, the British Department for Culture, Media and Sport has published a 27-song Coronation Celebration playlist on Spotify full of certified bangers including the Spice Girls and Kate Bush.

Only half.

According to CBS, Markle will remain in the states with the couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, while Harry visits London for less than 48 hours.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement that Harry would attend the coronation, marking his first time appearing with the royal family since releasing his memoir, Spare. It is also the first time he’ll be seen with the family since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, his grandmother.

Details are sparse, but it doesn’t look like Harry will have a defined role. As noted by USA Today, his brother — Prince William — will participate in an oath loyalty ceremony called “The Homage of Royal Blood.” William’s wife, Kate Middleton, as well as their children, will also be in attendance.

Prince George, who at 9 years old is second in line to the throne, will serve as one of his grandfather’s four pages of honor, the Times reported.

Most major news networks, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and NBC, will broadcast the coronation. BBC will also present a livestream online and through its news app. The Royal Family is also hosting a YouTube live feed.

The day after Charles is crowned, the monarchy will host an official coronation concert.

It’s part of another long-standing tradition, weaving royal celebrations with popular artists — some British, some not.

The concert will be broadcast on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time or 2 p.m. Eastern. It will be broadcast across BBC platforms.

Confirmed performers include Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, and the Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger.

Elton John has historically been involved with royal concerts, though he won’t be performing this year citing scheduling conflicts. Adele also sent her regrets, the Guardian reported. The Spice Girls, Harry Styles, and Ed Sheeran declined invitations to perform.

Meh. As noted by Philadelphia-based Guardian correspondent Arwa Mahdawi, local interest in the coronation is lackluster.

“Hello from Philadelphia where the excited natives are counting down the days until Charles III’s coronation … I’m joking, of course,” Mahdawi wrote. “From what I can see from my little perch, the US is mostly ignoring the pageantry taking place across the Atlantic.”

This is different from Elizabeth’s ceremony, where celebratory merch seemed to be everywhere.

“I have thoroughly examined every grocery store in my corner of Philadelphia and I can assure you that there isn’t a single Charles-themed riding whip to be found,” Mahdawi wrote. “There isn’t even a can of beans with his face on.”

While interest appears to be mostly on the apathetic side, there are still some local ties.

The English Speaking Union’s Philadelphia Branch is honoring the coronation with a royal garden celebration complete with a hat competition and hors d’oeuvres on Saturday.

There will also be a celebratory tea and lunch on the Ormiston Mansion grounds hosted by the local Daughter of the British Empire, Royal Heritage Society, and Commonwealth of Nations Societies chapters on Sunday.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that President Joe Biden was planning to attend the coronation.