Less than eight months after ascending the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles and his wife Camilla celebrated their coronation. The May 6 ceremony at Westminster Abbey was the second of the United Kingdom’s televised coronations following that of King Charles’s own mother in 1953 – and while it was a religious and secular ceremony, it was also a pop culture spectacle. Crowds of supporters waited for hours for a glimpse of how the day unfolded, with many more chatting (and sharing memes) about the big day on social media.
Here’s what you need to know about the UK’s big day.
The young royals stole the show
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Prince William and Kate Middleton were joined by their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The ceremony was particularly unique for Prince George, as he was the first future king to play a part in the coronation ceremony – he was a page of honor at the event.
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Princess Charlotte matched with mother Kate – both wore Alexander McQueen floral crown headbands. The headgear featured the four flowers of the United Kingdom
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The young royals joined their grandfather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to spectators after the ceremony, as they did during the Queen’s Jubilee, where Prince Louis covered his ears to block out the sound of airplanes
How Prince Harry fit in at the coronation
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Prince Harry attended the coronation ceremony, though it was a short trip — he headed back to California to celebrate his son Archie’s fourth birthday with wife Meghan Markle, who wasn’t in attendance.
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According to reports, the Duke of Sussex flew commercially to the event
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Prince Harry sat in the third row, behind the other members of the royal family. He wasn’t the only royal relegated to this lineup: Prince Andrew, who stepped down from royal duties following his controversy over Jeffrey Epstein, also sat in the third row
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Although Prince Harry and Prince Andrew sat together, there was a distinct difference in their attire. While Prince Andrew wore his formal Order of the Garter robes, Prince Harry – who served two tours in Afghanistan – wore a suit. (He did wear his medals, though.)
Which celebrities attended the coronation – and what they wore
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Only a small selection of celebrities made it to the May 6 event. Dame Emma Thompson was one of them – she was joined at the coronation by husband Greg Wise, wearing a red floral coat over a black dress
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Katy Perry, who will also perform at the May 7 coronation concert, wore a lilac outfit, complete with an oversized hat, to attend the coronation. She was accompanied by British Fashion editor Edward Enninful. Notably absent was longtime partner Orlando Bloom.
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Lionel Richie, Perry’s american idol co-host who will also perform on Sunday also attended the event, wearing a black suit and white tie. He told Sky News that it was a “once in a lifetime event” and that “being part of it is everything”. Both he and Perry say goodbye to them american idol tasks to perform in Sunday’s event
Viral moments of the coronation
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Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter and Prince Charles’ sister, was the “Gold-Stick-in-Waiting” at the ceremony, a role she has held since 1955. It was her green outfit that went viral on Twitter. “Has Princess Anne been the cool one all along?” a Twitter user posed next to a photo of her in uniform. “She actually pulls off this look.” Others compared Princess Anne’s appearance to Robin Hood
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A lot of Monty Python and the Holy Grail jokes were made on Twitter, courtesy of King Charles receiving a golden orb which many compared to the “Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch”
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Outside of the ceremony, the village of Bramhall found its own way to honor the coronation: by hanging life-sized carvings of the King and Queen all over town, as part of a royal trail for people to follow
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Perry seemingly struggled to find her place in the coronation of more than 2,000. The “Fireworks” singer reacted to the incorrect placement of the seat on Twitter, assuring her fans, “Don’t worry guys, I found my seat.”
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