Follow the latest news from the coronation of King Charles here
World leaders hailed King Charles III as he was crowned sovereign of the United Kingdom, in a ceremony affirming his place in the 1,000-year history of the British monarchy while striving to keep it relevant for modern times.
The coronation was diverse and inclusive and hopes to show off a new era for Britain.
While rooted in history, the ceremony — only the second British coronation to be televised — was also an attempt to present a forward-looking institution and to reflect a more diverse country.
The King has long made efforts to showcase and praise Britain's diversity, and he ensured representatives of a number of faiths took part, with Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh leaders all playing an active role.
The coronation featured female clergy members for the first time and a Bible reading from the practising Hindu Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“I come not to be served but to serve,” Charles said at the start.
The King waved to his adoring people from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in a made-for-television moment after a gilded carriage brought him back from Westminster Abbey in his newly-acquired Imperial State Crown.
He was accompanied on the balcony by Queen Camilla, working members of the royal family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, and pages of honour in front of cheering crowds. Notably absent was the king's son Prince Harry.
It was also a moment for an international get together and some sidebar diplomacy.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, represented the UAE in London. President Sheikh Mohamed sent “heartfelt wishes” from the UAE.
US President Joe Biden, being represented in London by his wife Jill, congratulated the King and Queen. European leaders all sent messages of goodwill, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who said he was “proud to be by your side on this historic day”.
Outside, the VIP contingents people from all over the world had travelled to be street side.
Phil Tagini flew in from the Solomon Islands for the coronation. “I think this is a historical moment. This was an amazing opportunity,” he said.
“The pomp, the crown, everything. It was just incredible. There was a deep sense of history. It was great to see our monarch crowned in person.”
Christina Green was over from Florida to watch the coronation in person. “I went to Westminster Abbey but it was crazy. I know I was here and that is all that matters.”
Prime Minister Sunak held a number of bilateral meetings around the coronation, including one with Canada's Justin Trudeau.
The monarchy's supporters say the royal family provides an international draw, a vital diplomatic tool and a means of keeping the country on the world stage.
“No other country could put on such a dazzling display — the processions, the pageantry, the ceremonies, and street parties,” Mr Sunak said.
Rain and reign
Inside the abbey, the King prayed for subjects of “every faith and conviction” during a coronation service watched by kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and dignitaries from more than 200 countries.
The Archbishop of Canterbury placed St Edward’s Crown on the King’s head at 12.02pm after anointing him with holy oil, in the 40th known coronation at Westminster Abbey in a line stretching back to 1066.
His wife Camilla was crowned Queen, capping her long journey to public acceptance after the turmoil and tragedy that came before their marriage.
The coronation of King Charles III — in pictures
Crowds of well-wishers turned out to see the procession despite drizzly weather on Britain’s first coronation day for 70 years. A small number of antimonarchist protests led to arrests but did not cause major disruption.
A fly-past by the British military was scaled down to a display by helicopters and the Red Arrows acrobatic team because of “unsuitable weather conditions”.
The palace did not confirm in advance who would appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, in what has become a key moment in royal events that signals who is favoured for public appearances.
The king’s heir apparent Prince William kissed King Charles on the cheek during the service. The monarch appeared to mouth “thank you, William” in response.
King Charles's five-year-old grandson Prince Louis once again endeared himself to viewers by yawning and chattering during the ceremony.
Prince Harry sat in the third row with no formal role in proceedings in his first appearance at a state event since making stinging accusations against the family in his autobiography Spare.
Celebrity guests at the church actors Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and American singer Katy Perry.
After the service, eight Windsor Grey horses pulled the King and Queen in the Gold State Coach as the Prince and Princess of Wales followed behind and Princess Anne rode on horseback in her ceremonial role as Gold Stick in Waiting.
Saturday’s ceremony completes the formalities of King Charles’s accession after his long wait to take the throne ended with the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September.
Although he took the throne immediately after her death, the coronation marks a religious blessing for the new reign and passes him the symbols of the monarchy’s long history.
The king was handed the orb, sceptre and other royal treasures passed down over the centuries after arriving in a velvet robe worn by his grandfather King George VI.
A fanfare was played and the abbey’s bells rang for two minutes as gun salutes were fired from nearby Horse Guards Parade, the Tower of London and saluting stations across the nation and from warships at sea.
Speaking from a liturgy agreed with the archbishop, the king said: “I come not to be served but to serve.”
There were twists to the service meant to reflect the social and religious diversity of modern Britain and a country where the church and monarchy are no longer universally revered.
At the end of the service, the king met leaders of the Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist communities in Britain who promised to “unite in service for the common good” with the new king.
The king prayed that he “may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and conviction” after swearing an oath to “foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely”.
An epistle from the King James Bible was read by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Britain's first Hindu leader.
Traditional music such as the 18th-century hymn Zadok the Priest was accompanied by singing in Welsh and the first coronation pieces composed by women.
In the first coronation in the age of modern air travel, the guests included leaders and celebrities from around the Commonwealth and other countries.
Those taking their seats in Westminster Abbey included Bahrain's King Hamad and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.
The US was represented by first lady Jill Biden, who went to the church with her granddaughter Finnegan Biden.
While the late queen's coronation in 1953 was the first televised event witnessed by many people in Britain, King Charles's big day was billed as the first to be live-streamed via social media.
Mr Sunak called it a “cherished ritual through which a new era is born”.
Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III's coronations — 1953 and 2023
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”