London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Dec 12, 2025

King and Queen say thanks for 'glorious occasion'

King and Queen say thanks for 'glorious occasion'

King Charles and Queen Camilla, crowned in a lavish, historic ceremony on Saturday, were "deeply touched" by the day's events, Buckingham Palace said.

The royal couple were "profoundly grateful" to all who helped to make it "such a glorious occasion" and the "very many" who turned out to show their support, the palace said.

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales made a surprise trip to Windsor.

Crowds cheered as the couple chatted to people taking part in the Big Lunch.

A day earlier at Westminster Abbey, more than 2,000 guests including world leaders, fellow kings and queens, celebrities and community champions packed the pews to witness the crowning of a king.

Outside, thousands lined the Mall despite the rain to cheer the king as his horse-drawn carriage passed from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.

Later, the couple, still in their crowns, appeared on the palace balcony to wave to the rain-soaked public, keen to be part of a moment in Britain's history.

Millions around the world watched the Coronation, the first in 70 years.

In the UK alone, at least 18 million viewers tuned in, provisional figures suggest.

Celebrations are continuing on Sunday with thousands of street parties and lunches ahead of a star-studded concert.

Tea, cake and union jacks in London's Regent's Park

Anyone for tea? Rishi Sunak sits alongside US First Lady Jill Biden at the Downing Street lunch


In Windsor, the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, chatted and shook hands with people picnicking along The Long Walk which leads to Windsor Castle. Many will be gearing up for Sunday night's Coronation Concert.

The lunchtime crowds shouted "hip hip hooray" as the royals sipped a homemade gin cocktail, christened Purple Reign, from union jack paper cups while talking to a group of women in foam crowns.

Catherine, dressed in a pale blue blazer, smiled for a selfie with one woman and crouched down to console a tearful little girl who was overwhelmed by the occasion.

Speaking to another wellwisher, William revealed that his eldest son Prince George - one of the King's pages of honour at the Coronation - is a fan of classic rock music.

Caroline Mulvihill, from the Rock Choir in Windsor and Maidenhead, said: "Will was telling us in their household they have a very diverse music taste and George is very much into AC/DC and Led Zeppelin."

Another choir member, Sam Leckenby, said the royal couple had revealed they were "quite pleased" Saturday's ceremony had been shortened and was not the traditional five hours long.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh joined a Coronation Big Lunch in Cranleigh, Surrey, while the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were at a community street party in Swindon.

The Duke of York's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were attending a lunch in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire.

At Downing Street, the prime minister and his wife hosted their own lunch for community figures, Ukrainian families, youth groups - and US First Lady Jill Biden, who represented President Biden at Saturday's Coronation ceremony.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh mingled with crowds in Cranleigh, Surrey

The Princess Royal visits a street party in Swindon


In all, some 50,000 Coronation lunches are expected to take place in the UK and across the world.

The King and Queen said they hoped the events would be "truly enjoyable", in a message posted on the Royal Family's official Instagram account.

Later at 20:00 BST, the Coronation Concert takes place at Windsor Castle and will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Radio 2.

Big names include Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, who were at Saturday's Coronation, as well as Take That, Olly Murs and Paloma Faith.

There will also be musical favourites from a world-class orchestra and a joint performance from The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera House, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal College of Music and The Royal College of Art.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson proclaims, “For Ukraine, surrendering their land would be a nightmare.”
Microsoft Challenges £2.1 Billion UK Cloud Licensing Lawsuit at Competition Tribunal
Fake Doctor in Uttar Pradesh Accused of Killing Woman After Performing YouTube-Based Surgery
Hackers Are Hiding Malware in Open-Source Tools and IDE Extensions
Traveling to USA? Homeland Security moving toward requiring foreign travelers to share social media history
UK Officials Push Back at Trump Saying European Leaders ‘Talk Too Much’ About Ukraine
UK Warns of Escalating Cyber Assault Linked to Putin’s State-Backed Operations
UK Consumer Spending Falters in November as Households Hold Back Ahead of Budget
UK Orders Fresh Review of Prince Harry’s Security Status After Formal Request
U.S. Authorises Nvidia to Sell H200 AI Chips to China Under Security Controls
Trump in Direct Assault: European Leaders Are Weak, Immigration a Disaster. Russia Is Strong and Big — and Will Win
"App recommendation" or disguised advertisement? ChatGPT Premium users are furious
"The Great Filtering": Australia Blocks Hundreds of Thousands of Minors From Social Networks
Mark Zuckerberg Pulls Back From Metaverse After $70 Billion Loss as Meta Shifts Priorities to AI
Nvidia CEO Says U.S. Data-Center Builds Take Years while China ‘Builds a Hospital in a Weekend’
Indian Airports in Turmoil as IndiGo Cancels Over a Thousand Flights, Stranding Thousands
Hollywood Industry on Edge as Netflix Secures Near-$60 Bln Loan for Warner Bros Takeover
Drugs and Assassinations: The Connection Between the Italian Mafia and Football Ultras
Hollywood megadeal: Netflix acquires Warner Bros. Discovery for 83 billion dollars
The Disregard for a Europe ‘in Danger of Erasure,’ the Shift Toward Russia: Trump’s Strategic Policy Document
Two and a Half Weeks After the Major Outage: A Cloudflare Malfunction Brings Down Multiple Sites
UK data-regulator demands urgent clarity on racial bias in police facial-recognition systems
Labour Uses Biscuits to Explain UK Debt — MPs Lean Into Social Media to Reach New Audiences
German President Lays Wreath at Coventry as UK-Germany Reaffirm Unity Against Russia’s Threat
UK Inquiry Finds Putin ‘Morally Responsible’ for 2018 Novichok Death — London Imposes Broad Sanctions on GRU
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
×