The United Kingdom celebrated the coronation of King Charles III on Sunday with thousands of street parties and community lunches held across the country. The celebrations were attended by members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton.
As part of the festivities, the royal family attended community events and shared photos of their experiences on their official social media accounts. “Wonderful to see so many people out enjoying their Coronation Big Lunch today!” read the caption on one of the posts.
The Prince and Princess of Wales led the celebrations by surprising fans at a Coronation Big Lunch in Windsor. Prince Edward and Sophie, who became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in March, headed to a Big Lunch in Cranleigh, Surrey. Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, attended the street parties in Swindon, Wiltshire. Meanwhile, Prince Andre and Sarah Ferguson’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who is expecting her second child with husband Jack Brooksbank, also joined a Big Lunch in Windsor.
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and his wife, Akshata Murty, hosted a Big Lunch at Downing Street for community figures, Ukrainian families, and youth groups. According to reports, some 50,000 Coronation lunches were expected to take place on Sunday in the UK and around the world to mark the King’s coronation.
The festivities concluded with a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle, where Katy Perry and Take That performed for the attendees. Members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, were in attendance.
The monarch, King Charles III, and his wife, Queen Camilla, also issued a message on social media about the day’s events, saying, “Whether this is your first ever Big Lunch or whether it is an annual part of your local calendar, we send our warmest good wishes to each one of you, and all those who will be with you, at what we hope will be a truly enjoyable event for everyone.”