King Charles’ coronation will feature thousands of troops
- Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said involving the military personnel would be a ‘spectacular, fitting tribute’ to the monarch
- The May event will be UK forces’ biggest ceremonial deployment in 70 years; hundreds of troops from 35 Commonwealth nations will also take part
More than 6,000 British military personnel will take part in the coronation of King Charles III, the UK forces’ biggest ceremonial deployment in seven decades, the government said on Sunday.
The Ministry of Defence said thousands of soldiers, sailors and aviators will escort the king and Camilla, the queen consort, between Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey on their way to and from the May 6 ceremony.
Gun salutes will ring out from British warships and army bases across the country, and later military aircraft, from World War II Spitfires to modern fighter jets, will perform a fly-past over the palace.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said it would be “a spectacular and fitting tribute” to the monarch, who is also commander-in-chief of the UK armed forces.
Admiral Tony Radakin, chief of the defence staff, said the military side of the coronation “reflects centuries of tradition, but is indicative of the integral role the armed forces play in modern Britain and the extraordinary ways we support the nation, whether deterring aggression and maintaining stability worldwide or strengthening our domestic resilience and prosperity”.
Hundreds of troops from 35 Commonwealth countries will also play roles in the ceremonies for Britain’s first coronation since that of Queen Elizabeth in 1953.