Three coronation garden parties will be held at royal palaces to celebrate the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, Buckingham Palace has announced.
On May 3, three days before the historic ceremony in Westminster Abbey, thousands of guests will gather on the lawns of Buckingham Palace and again on May 9 — three days after the big day.
On July 4, another garden party will be hosted at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh during Holyrood Week.
The garden parties — a staple part of the traditional royal calendar — will be the first of the king’s reign.
Many of the 500 Coronation Champions, recognised for their volunteering by the Royal Voluntary Service, of which Queen Consort Camilla is patron, have been invited to the garden parties, as well as one of the official coronation festivities.
The king has also given permission for two additional garden parties.
The Duchess of Edinburgh will host the Not Forgotten Association annual garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 16.
The tri-service charity provides entertainment, leisure and recreation for ex-servicemen and women with disabilities or illnesses and serving personnel who are wounded, injured or sick.
The UK prepares for the coronation of King Charles III — in pictures
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Royal enthusiasts at their impromptu campsite on The Mall in London, where they await the May 6 coronation procession of King Charles III. Getty -
Police officers patrol near Westminster Abbey as security is heightened for the coronation. AFP -
A telephone box in the village of Compton, Surrey, decorated with the ears, nose and crown of King Charles. AFP -
A royal fan takes a break after booking his spot on the coronation route in London. AP -
Town crier Tony Appleton takes the train into central London. AFP -
The drum major's state coat, adorned with the new CR III cypher, to be worn during the coronation. AFP -
Decorations are put up outside Number 10 Downing Street in London. AP -
A royal fan gets into the spirit of the coronation on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace. Reuters -
Yeoman of the Guard, the British sovereign's bodyguards, prepare to board a bus in London. Getty -
The UK's military held a full dress rehearsal for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III on Tuesday night. Reuters -
A royal fan sleeps at The Mall outside Buckingham Palace as the countdown to the coronation continues. Reuters -
Big Ben, in central London, is lit up during a rehearsal for the ceremony. PA -
An art installation in London depicts St Edward's Crown. AP -
Madame Tussauds in Sydney, Australia, unveils a waxwork figure of King Charles, alongside figures of Prince William and his wife Kate. Reuters -
Royalists have slept out on The Mall in London for days for the best view of the ceremony. EPA -
A knitted coronation-themed postbox topper in Isleworth, London. AP -
Tailor William Skinner with a ceremonial uniform on Savile Row, London, before the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, on May 6. Reuters -
Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the King's Works of Art, adjusts the imperial mantle, a part of the coronation vestments, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. AFP -
A banner celebrating the coronation at Kings Cross Station in London. AP -
Upholsterer Beatrice Ekwalla works on restoring a throne chair for the coronation at the Marlborough House workshops in London. AFP -
Royal fan Margaret Tyler poses for a portrait in the living room of her home in north London. EPA -
Parliament Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle with the Speaker's State Coach. PA -
Violinist Adrianna Forbes-Dorant, 17, takes part in a rehearsal with the Brixton Chamber Orchestra for coronation performances in London. AP -
British Army soldiers rehearse at RAF Odiham for a coronation parade. Getty -
Shoppers browse souvenirs for the coronation of King Charles III outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Reuters -
Temporary stands are constructed on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace, central London. PA -
Members of the military pass by Westminster Abbey in central London during a night-time rehearsal for the coronation. AP -
Britain's Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, attends a Coronation Big Lunch at Westminster Abbey. Reuters -
The London Scottish Band in Burlington Arcade, London, at an unveiling of a celebratory installation to mark the coronation. PA -
A crown is placed on top of a flagpole on The Mall in London. Getty Images -
The official 'Crowning of the King' souvenir programme sits on a shop shelf in central London. AFP -
Workers prepare the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the big event. AFP -
Ardent monarchist Anita Atkinson sits among her 13,283 pieces of royal memorabilia at her Weardale farm near Bishop Auckland. AFP -
Members of the Household Cavalry take part in a rehearsal for the coronation at Buckingham Palace. Getty Images -
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will travel to the coronation in the modern Diamond Jubilee State Coach and return in the Gold State Coach, pictured. PA -
A potter works on chinaware produced for the coronation at a factory in Stoke-on-Trent. AFP -
The Coronation Chair, also known as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair, at Westminster Abbey in London. AFP -
King Charles is presented with the first struck £5 coronation coin by Royal Mint chief executive Anne Jessopp and director Rebecca Morgan at Windsor Castle. Reuters -
The first struck £5 coronation coin. Reuters -
A member of staff at Fudge Kitchen puts up bunting in Windsor. PA -
A crown made by British milliner Justin Smith, created using 319 Scrabble tiles to mark the board game's 75th anniversary and the coronation. PA -
People browse a souvenir kiosk in London. Reuters -
The new commemorative 50p coin, part of the coronation coin collection. PA
And on May 24, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will host the Royal Kennel Club garden party to mark the charity’s 150th anniversary.
The Royal Kennel Club is the largest organisation in the UK devoted to dog health, welfare and training. Queen Elizabeth II, known for her love of dogs especially corgis, was patron for 70 years.
More than 8,000 guests usually attend each traditional garden party.
Members of the royal family enter from the West Terrace and stand for the national anthem, before circulating down lanes of people on the lawn.
Yeomen of the Guard, dressed in their red and gold ceremonial costumes, form part of the proceedings, and guests are free to stroll around the vast expanse of the gardens while a military band plays background music.
Garden parties have been held at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s when Queen Victoria began what were known as “breakfasts”, although they took place in the afternoon.
Guests also queue in tea tents and take their seats on nearby chairs. About 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed at each party.
