Since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, members of the royal family and the general public have been awaiting King Charles III’s coronation ceremony. The ceremony itself is on Saturday, May 6, and we will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside Camilla, Queen Consort. In this guide, we’ll show you how and where to watch King Charles’ coronation online.
Key Takeaways: Watch King Charles’ Coronation
- King Charles III’s coronation is on Saturday, May 6. The ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m. BST, but televised coverage will start much earlier. The coronation concert starts at 8:00 p.m. BST on Sunday, May 7.
- You can watch the coronation on the BBC and BBC iPlayer, ITV News and ITVX, and Sky News in the U.K., or CNN and Fox News in the U.S.
- If you need a VPN to access those services, we recommend using ExpressVPN, which offers a 30-day refund period.
It’s the first coronation ceremony for the United Kingdom in almost 70 years and will be broadcast live on a few networks. This also includes the ceremonial processions that take place before and after the ceremony, and the coronation concert that will take place on the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 7.
This guide will cover how to watch all of the coronation’s ceremonial events from outside the United Kingdom with a VPN. If you want a quick answer about which to choose, ExpressVPN is the king of the VPN world and it’s the best VPN for streaming. It also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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King Charles’s coronation will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, ITV News, ITVX and the Sky News YouTube Channel in the U.K. It will also be available on U.S. channels Fox News and CNN.
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Yes, just like the Queen’s own coronation, as well as her funeral, King Charles’ coronation will be televised.
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King Charles’ coronation ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m. local time. However, coverage for the coronation day is set to start at 7:30 a.m. BST on the BBC, 8:30 a.m. BST on ITV and 6:00 a.m. BST on Sky News.
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While still in keeping with some longstanding traditions, King Charles’ coronation will be significantly smaller than Queen Elizabeth II’s. It’s still a big occasion, though, and includes processions, the actual ceremony, a balcony appearance and a coronation concert the next day. There’s also the Coronation Big Lunch, which is aimed at bringing communities together during the bank holiday weekend.
King Charlesu2019s coronation will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, ITV News, ITVX and the Sky News YouTube Channel in the U.K. It will also be available on U.S. channels Fox News and CNN.n”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Will the Coronation of King Charles Be Televised?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
Yes, just like the Queen’s own coronation, as well as her funeral, King Charlesu2019 coronation will be televised.n”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What Time Is King Charlesu2019 Coronation on TV?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
King Charles’ coronation ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m. local time. However, coverage for the coronation day is set to start at 7:30 a.m. BST on the BBC, 8:30 a.m. BST on ITV and 6:00 a.m. BST on Sky News.n”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Will There Be a Big Coronation for Charles?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
While still in keeping with some longstanding traditions, King Charlesu2019 coronation will be significantly smaller than Queen Elizabeth IIu2019s. Itu2019s still a big occasion, though, and includes processions, the actual ceremony, a balcony appearance and a coronation concert the next day. Thereu2019s also the Coronation Big Lunch, which is aimed at bringing communities together during the bank holiday weekend.n”}}]}]]>
How to Watch King Charles’ Coronation Online
As we already mentioned, the coronation procession, ceremony and concert will all be televised. There are a few channels that will provide live coverage, but where you can watch it depends on where you’re located because of geoblocks.
Geoblocks are restrictions put in place by channels, streaming services and other online services to control who can watch or see the content. For instance, BBC iPlayer is only available in the United Kingdom to ensure the service doesn’t breach copyright and licensing agreements.
You’ll be chuffed to know you can bypass all of this with a virtual private network (VPN). If you’re not in the United Kingdom and want to watch BBC iPlayer, you can connect to a U.K. VPN server and access the service. We’ll show you how farther down.
When Will the Coronation Be Live?
Although there’s no specific timetable yet at the ready for the coronation, we know that the king’s procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey will start shortly before the coronation ceremony. The coronation ceremony will begin at roughly 11:00 a.m. local time and will be conducted by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The ceremony is expected to last for an hour or two, at which point the coronation procession will begin its journey back to Buckingham Palace. After that, the king and queen will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony to greet onlookers and watch a scheduled flypast.
On Sunday, May 7, the coronation concert will start at 8:00 p.m. BST. It will include artists such as Katy Perry, Take That and Lionel Richie, as well as a performance from a classical orchestra and the coronation choir. Kirsty Young will lead the coverage of the concert, with Clara Amfo and Diversity’s Jordan Banjo talking to artists backstage. You can watch that on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
| Event | U.K. BST | U.S. | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coronation ceremony | 11:00 am BST | 3:00 am PT 6:00 am ET |
6:00 pm AWST 8:00 pm AEST |
| Coronation concert | 8:00 pm BST | 12:00 pm PT 3:00 pm ET |
*3:00 am AWST *5:00 am AEST |
*May 7th events
Which Services Will Show the King’s Coronation?
The main network for watching anything and everything about the coronation is the BBC. It will provide live coverage of all parts of the coronation, including the processions, military operations, the coronation service at Westminster Abbey, the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance and the crowd in London (let’s hope they don’t need a brolly).
That means you’ll be able to watch it on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer (coverage starts at 7:30 a.m. BST). There’s a high chance it’ll also be on BBC America, but that’s still to be confirmed. The BBC will also provide more accessible coverage, including sign language and subtitles, as well as alternative commentary for blind or partially sighted people on BBC iPlayer.
The BBC is the main broadcaster for King Charles III’s coronation, with coverage starting on Friday, May 5.
Many BBC presenters will cover the day’s events, with Kirsty Young and Huw Edwards named as providing main coverage. Clare Balding, JJ Chalmers, Sophie Raworth and Anita Rani will also help cover the events, with Martha Kearney, Mishal Hussain, James Naughtie and Eleanor Oldroyd handling radio coverage. We’ll also hear from royal correspondent Jonny Dymond.
You can also watch a live broadcast of the coronation on ITV News with presenters Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham (coverage starts at 8:30 a.m. BST) and the Sky News YouTube channel (coverage starts at 6:00 a.m. BST). U.S. networks Fox News and CNN will also be covering the ceremony.
How to Watch King Charles’ Coronation for Free
Thankfully, there are a few ways you can stream the coronation online for free. For starters, you can simply go to the Sky News live YouTube channel. You can also watch it completely free on ITVX and BBC iPlayer.
Neither of those services costs a penny, but they’re only available to U.K. residents. All you need to do to access them, though, is hop on a U.K. VPN server and create a free account. We’ll show you how to do this with BBC iPlayer in the next section.
Both Fox News and CNN are cable channels, but they’re included with many live TV streaming services, such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and Sling TV. Such services usually offer a free trial, so you can sign up for that to watch the coronation for free. Just remember to cancel before you’re charged.
How to Watch King Charles III’s Coronation Online From the US and Abroad
If you don’t have a local option for watching the coronation, you can use a VPN to access the channels mentioned above without faffing around too much.
In the following steps, we’ll show you how to access BBC iPlayer with ExpressVPN, the best BBC iPlayer VPN. You can use similar steps for accessing ITVX and other services that are showing the coronation too.
- Sign Up for an ExpressVPN Plan
Go to the ExpressVPN website and sign up for one of its plans. They all come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, which you can use to get a refund when you’re done.
- Install ExpressVPN’s App
Download and install the ExpressVPN app on your device. After that, open the app and log in to your ExpressVPN account.
- Connect to a U.K. Server
Click on the three dots in the ExpressVPN app to open the server list. Then, either scroll through the list or use the search bar to find a server in the U.K. Click on the server to connect. If it doesn’t connect, click the big “on” button.
- Go to the BBC iPlayer Website
Go to the BBC iPlayer website, click “sign in” and then either sign in to your account if you already have one or create a new one.
- Create a Free BBC iPlayer Account
Click on “register now” to create a new account. It’ll then ask if you’re over 13 and ask you to provide your date of birth.
- Provide Your Details
Enter your details. Make sure you provide a valid email address because you’ll need to click the verification link. For the U.K. postcode, you can add a random one from a Google search. Then, click “register” and go to your email to click the verification link.
- Find & Stream the Coronation
Once back on the main page, you can use the search bar to find the coronation. Click on it and press play to watch King Charles’ coronation. If you get a pop-up asking if you have a TV license, click “I have a TV license. Watch now.”
Do I Need a VPN to Watch the King’s Coronation?
Whether you need a VPN to watch the king’s coronation will depend on where you are. As we already mentioned, BBC channels, BBC iPlayer and ITV are only available in the U.K., and CNN and Fox News are only available in the U.S.
It’ll likely be on local channels in other countries too, such as Australia and Canada, so it’s worth checking to see if any of your local channels will be covering the coronation.
If you have a subscription to a livestreaming service, check to see if there are any relevant channels there. If there’s no local option or you would just prefer to watch the BBC’s or another network’s coverage, you can use a VPN to get access, just like we’ve shown you in the how-to above.
There are many options when it comes to VPN services, but you should ensure you choose one that can handle streaming well. It not only needs to get into the service you want, but it also needs fast enough speeds and servers in the same country as the content or service you want to access. For instance, if you want to watch BBC iPlayer or ITV, you need servers in the U.K.
With all of that in mind, there are a few services that provide the best experience when streaming. That includes the previously mentioned ExpressVPN, but there are other smashing options like NordVPN and Surfshark. All of these services have what you need to stream the king’s coronation, and they all have a money-back guarantee.
King Charles’ Coronation: Who Will Be There?
The guest list for King Charles’ coronation is still being added to and although there won’t be as many attending as there were for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, we already know about some guests who will show up, including most of the royal family.
One of the big questions in the media recently was whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would attend together. Buckingham Palace recently confirmed that while Prince Harry will attend the ceremony, Meghan Markle won’t, as she will remain with the couple’s two children in California.
Many other familiar royal faces will also attend, including future king, Prince George, as a page of honor and George’s siblings. His Majesty King Charles III will have four pages of honor who will carry the ceremonial robe. Aside from Prince George, the pages are Nicholas Barclay, Lord Oliver Chomondeley and Ralph Tollemache, who are all known to the monarch.
Here’s a list of the royals who will attend:
- Prince William and Kate, Prince and Princess of Wales
- Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
- Princess Anne, Princess Royal, and Sir Timothy Laurence
- Peter Phillips
- Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall
- Prince Andrew, Duke of York
- Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
- Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
- Prince Edward and Sophie, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
- James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex
- Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
- Prince Richard and Birgitte, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
- Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
- Lady Davina Windsor
- Lady Rose Gilman
- Prince Edward and Katharine, Duke and Duchess of Kent
- George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews
- Lady Helen Taylor
- Lord Nicholas Windsor
- Princess Alexandra, the Honorable Lady Ogilvy
- Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra
- Lord Frederick Windsor and Sophie Winkleman
- Lady Gabriella Kingston and Thomas Kingston
- Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto
- Samuel Chatto
- Arthur Chatto
- David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon
- Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley
- Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones
Family of Queen Consort Camillla
The Queen Consort will also have a good number of family members attend the coronation and has chosen four of them to be her pages of honor: grandsons Freddy Parker Bowles, Louis Lopes and Gus Lopes, and great-nephew Arthur Elliot.
The queen’s companions, Jane von Westenholz, Sarah Troughton, Lady Katharine Brooke, Baroness Carlyn Chisholm, Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne and Lady Sarah Kewsick will also be there.
Here’s a full list of who will attend from Camilla’s family:
- Tom Parker Bowles (son)
- Lola Parker Bowles (Tom’s daughter, Camilla’s granddaughter)
- Freddy Parker Bowles (Tom’s son, Camilla’s grandson)
- Laura Lopes (daughter)
- Eliza Lopes (Laura’s daughter, Camilla’s granddaughter)
- Louis and Gus Lopes (Laura’s twin sons, Camilla’s grandsons)
Other Guests Who Will Attend the Coronation
Despite longstanding traditions, we can also expect to see members of foreign royalty from many different countries attend the ceremony. Of course, there will also be Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former prime ministers, as well as foreign heads of state. It was confirmed that U.S. President Joe Biden will not attend, but his wife, first lady Jill Biden, will take his place.
Lastly, there will also be a number of charity representatives, volunteers and other inspirational guests attending.
The Passing of Queen Elizabeth II & the Monarchy’s Future
Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 on Sept. 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland. She was Britain’s longest reigning monarch, serving for 70 years from the age of 25. After her death, Operation London Bridge began. Britain engaged in a 10-day period of mourning and her son, Prince Charles, became the new king.
Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest reigning monarch. She passed away in September 2022.
However, feelings surrounding the news of her passing were mixed around the world. For many Brits, the queen has been a constant throughout their lives, never having known anything different. For others, the monarchy represents British colonial rule and its brutal past.
Queen Elizabeth II helped to change the British Empire and create the Commonwealth, and helped countries regain their independence. However, many argue that this doesn’t take away the history of colonialism and how the royals’ wealth and status came from the suffering of others.
That said, the queen’s passing was the end of an era, and there’s a new king to steer the ship. The validity of a monarchy in the modern age has been questioned for decades, but the queen made various changes in an attempt to achieve a modern monarchy. This will remain a challenge for King Charles, but his main focus will likely be the future of the Commonwealth.
Who Is Next in Line for the Throne After King Charles?
The order of succession lists who is next in line to the throne. The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 removed the male bias involved in the line of succession, among a few other aged provisions. This means that male heirs will no longer automatically inherit the throne over females.
Here is the official line of succession after King Charles:
- William, Prince of Wales
- Prince George of Wales
- Princess Charlotte of Wales
- Prince Louis of Wales
- Harry, the Duke of Sussex
- Prince Archie of Sussex
- Princess Lilibet of Sussex
- Andrew, the Duke of York
- Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
- Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
- Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank
- Master August Brooksbank
- Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh
- James, Earl of Wessex
- Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
- Anne, the Princess Royal
- Mr. Peter Phillips
- Miss Savannah Phillips
- Miss Isla Phillips
- Zara, Mrs. Michael Tindall
- Miss Mia Tindall
- Miss Lena Tindall
- Master Lucas Tindall
Final Thoughts
The king’s coronation is set to be a big event, even if it’s not quite on the scale of his mother’s back in 1953. With the coronation day coverage and the coronation concert being the main points of the events, we hope this guide has helped you understand how you can watch it all online while cotching on your sofa.
Remember, if you need a VPN to access the services, ExpressVPN is the bee’s knees. It’ll get you into your chosen service lickety-split. Plus, you can use the money-back guarantee to get a cheeky refund when you’re done. Lovely jubbly.
Which channel will you watch the coronation events on? Will you need a VPN to watch it? If so, which VPN will you choose? What are your thoughts on having a British monarchy in 2023? Let us know in the comments section and, as always, thank you for reading.
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