Well, the big day is upon us. Charlie boy is officially proclaiming his rule over his subjects in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth — that means you. It feels like only yesterday that he was a wee scamp, frolicking between his mistress and his wife and wishing to be a tampon.
While Charles levelled up from Prince to King upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Royal tradition dictates that an official ceremony be held to celebrate the new ruler and let all the peasants of the land know that their new master has a big shiny hat. No new title will be conferred upon Charles or Camilla, this is purely a ceremonial affair. A purely ceremonial, $185 million affair.
All Australians are, of course, thrilled for Charles and his big party. Especially, and not at all related, if that party results in us getting a public holiday. Unfortunately, as far as that goes, it’s looking increasingly unlikely to happen. With no official announcement made, it’s all but confirmed that, unlike the UK, we will all be working on Monday.
Though we are colonial subjects on the far side of the planet, we need not miss out on this great and momentous occasion thanks to the magic of television and high-speed internet (or, at least, internet). Here’s how you can catch all the pomp and ceremony of the big day without having to resort to the traditional means of an 11-month trip in a big boat.
When is the Coronation of King Charles?
The coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6 May. The entire weekend, and then some, is given over to a celebration of Charles, with further festivities taking place on 7 May. Much of this will be televised in Australia.
The UK has scored a public holiday on 8 May, dubbed ‘The Big Help Out’ to encourage people to volunteer their time assisting in the local community. Much of this will not be televised in Australia.
Coronation Time in Australia
Coverage of the coronation will be broadcast live from London during the afternoon on Saturday 6 May AEST – the following times are accurate for those in the east coast time zone.
Most channels will start their broadcast of the event with preview coverage several hours ahead of the arrivals at Westminster Abbey which are scheduled to start at 6pm.
Charles and Camilla will lead the Royal Procession at 7:30pm from Buckingham Palace, travelling 1.3 miles along The Mall, down Whitehall, and into the Abbey.
At 8.00pm, the Coronation ceremony will begin in Westminster Abbey.
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At around 10pm, the newly crowned Charles and Camilla will exit the Abbey and travel the same route back to the Palace where they will gather with other members of the Royal Family on the balcony to wave to the crowds at 10:30pm. A military fly-over will then take place.
On Monday, 8 May, at 5am AEST, is when the coronation concert will begin. There are no details on exactly how long it will last, but we can expect it will run for at least a few hours. Block out until 8am at the earliest if you want to watch all the tunes live, although there will be chances to watch catch-up version.
How to Watch the Coronation in Australia
The broadcast of this historic event, the likes of which we haven’t seen since 1953, is likely to draw in millions of viewers, so there are plenty of options to watch it.
All the major channels have announced that they will be bringing full coverage of the events on Saturday. That means you can tune into ABC, Channel 7, Nice, Channel 10, and Sky News for the live show.
The ABC will start their coverage at 5pm, with Julia Baird and Jeremy Fernandez on hosting duties and special guests including Stan Grant, co-chair of the republican movement Craig Foster, monarchist and Liberal MP Julian Leeser, and Constitutional Law Professor Anne Twomey.
They will be playing the BBC’s coverage of the coronation from 7:30pm. You can tune in on ABC TV, ABC News, ABC iview, ABC Australia, and ABC Radio. iview also has Royal-themed shows you can watch now, including Charles R: The Making Of A Monarch, Camilla’s Country Life, A Grand Royal Design, and Prince Charles: Inside The Duchy Of Cornwall.
On Channel 7 and 7plus, coverage will start at 4pm with Sunrise co-host David Koch reporting from London during the events. 7NEWS Spotlight presenter Michael Usher and former BBC royal correspondent Angela Rippon will be hosting their coverage from Buckingham Palace, with Kochie at Westminster Abbey.
From 5.30am Monday 8 May, Sunrise will cross live to the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, before an encore screening in full at 7.30pm nationally on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Sky News will be covering the coronation even earlier, with their countdown starting at 3pm on Saturday.
Nine’s coverage will be hosted by Peter Overton and Ally Langdon on Channel Nine everywhere except in Queensland and New South Wales, where it will play on Nine Gem.
BritBox, the paid-for streaming service catering to ex-pats and Anglophiles, have also confirmed that they will be streaming the BBC’s coverage in Australia as well.
The streaming service Stan is also getting in on the Royal action and will be broadcasting the coronation ceremony live from 4:30pm AEST along with the Coronation Concert live at 5:30am AEST. And, if all the pomp and ceremony has got you in the mood to indulge your Anglo passions, Stan’s new series Ten Pound Poms, a drama charting the lives of British immigrants on the far side of the world, will be premiering on the platform on 15 May.
Related: Charles Is Coming, Look Busy: Royals Set for Trip Down Under
Related: Missed King Charles III’s Inaugural Address? Here Are the Highlights
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