King's Coronation as it happened: Charles crowned in spectacular ceremony after Prince Harry booed

The Diamond Jubilee coach is taking Charles and Camilla to Westminster Abbey. My colleague Matthew Mohan-Hickson has details about the Diamond Jubilee coach.

The carriage was built and designed by William James Frecklington, an Australian coach maker. He designed the Elizabeth II's Australian State Coach, which was gifted to the monarch in 1988.

The Diamond Jubilee Coach was build to mark the Queen's 80th birthday. However due to delays it took eight years to complete - having originally been due in 2006.

It has air conditioning and even suspension!

You can read more here.

My colleague Imogen Howse, who is watching from a damp Hyde Park, has reported a bit of disappointment that people did not get closer to the action. However, she says, the sight of the golden carriage prompted great cheers - and royalists were on their feet to sing the national anthem.

A few boos rung out around Hyde Park as Prince Harry appeared on the big screen. There was some push back, with one woman responding: "That's not very nice." Harry has just arrived at Westminster Abbey, his wife Meghan is staying in California.

A postbox decorated in celebration of the King’s coronation has been vandalised with pro-republican stickers, graffiti and eggs.

The Royal Mail box in Cardiff city centre was targeted hours after it was unveiled this week, although the stickers placed on it were quickly removed.

But on Saturday morning (6 May) the red, white and blue box was targeted again with Welsh independence stickers, including from campaign group Yes Cymru, and graffiti reading “Cymru” being found.

Other stickers reading “Ble mae’r Gymraeg?” – meaning “Where’s the Welsh?” – are from Cymdeithas Yr Iaeth Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) which is a direct action pressure group founded in the 1960s.

It was among the groups that protested against Charles’s investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

Several eggs were also thrown at the box, with shells and yolks left surrounding its base.

Charles and Camilla have arrived at Westminster Abbey, ahead of the coronation ceremony which will start at 11am.

The coronation ceremony has started, with 'God save the King' ringing out around Westminster Abbey. You can keep up with the service with this handy guide my colleague Claire Schofield has put together.

Our reporter in Hyde Park, Imogen Howse, previously reported that there were some boos when Prince Harry arrived in Westminster Abbey. She says that William and Kate were greeted with enthusiastic cheers - quite the difference in reception.

My colleague Matthew Mohan-Hickson has put together a piece on the music that will be played during the coronation ceremony.

Matt reports: "Charles has personally selected the musical programme for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6 May. It has been designed to showcase a range of musical talent and styles from the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

"On a personal note, the monarch has asked for Greek Orthodox music to be played in tribute to his late father, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in 2021. It will be performed by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble.

"Six orchestral commissions, five choral commissions and one organ commission have been created by British composers whose styles include classical, sacred, film, television and musical theatre."

Read about all the music being performed here.

Imogen Howse, our reporter in Hyde Park, is having memories of her childhood coming back while watching the coronation. Everyone is sat crossed legged, gripped by the ceremony on the big screen. She says people are now embracing the rain, and have cast off their hoods.

King Charles is currently being anointed behind red screens out of view of the public. This is one of the more unusual points of the ceremony. My colleague Alex Nelson explains more:

What does it mean to be anointed?

To be anointed means to be chosen or appointed for a specific purpose, often in a religious or ceremonial context.

The term comes from the practice of anointing with oil, which was a common ritual in ancient times. In religious contexts, anointing can be seen as a symbol of being blessed or chosen by a higher power for a particular role or mission.

It can also refer to the act of being consecrated or set apart for a sacred purpose. In a broader sense, being anointed can refer to being recognized or chosen for an important role or achievement, even outside of a religious context.

What does it mean within the coronation?

Being anointed with oil has different meanings depending on the context in which it is performed. But within the context of a royal coronation in Britain, it is a symbolic act that represents the bestowal of divine authority and blessing upon the monarch.

The tradition of anointing with oil during British coronation ceremonies can be traced back over a thousand years, to the coronation of King Edgar in 973 AD. The anointing ceremony itself is based on the biblical account of the anointing of King David, and is deeply rooted in Christian tradition.

The anointing is typically performed using a specially-prepared mixture of oil and balsam, known as the “holy oil”, and the monarch is anointed on the head, breast and hands while a prayer is recited asking for the monarch to be granted wisdom, grace and strength to rule justly and uphold the faith.

What oil will be used?

The chrism oil which will be used to anoint the King during his Coronation is vegan friendly. It was made with olives and perfumed with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin, and amber, as well as orange blossom, and will not use any ingredients from animals.

Some of the ingredients used in the holy oil to anoint Charles’ mother, the late Queen, in 1953, came from a musk deer, a civet cat and a sperm whale, Dr John Hall, a retired priest of the Church of England, said in a BBC documentary in 2018.

The holy oil, which will be used to anoint Charles on 6 May, was consecrated in Jerusalem on Friday 3 March at a ceremony in The Church of the Holy Sepulchre led by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, The Most Reverend Hosam Naoum.

Read Alex's full piece here.