Golden carriages on display as overnight Coronation rehearsals in London give glimpse of what to expect

Carriages that King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will travel in during Coronation celebrations were seen on the streets of London
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The first glimpses of the Coronation celebrations have been unveiled as overnight rehearsals took place in central London.

Hundreds of soldiers, including many on horseback, marched down from Buckingham Palace past Trafalgar Square and Downing Street to Westminster Abbey in the early hours of Wednesday morning (3 May).

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The Diamond Jubilee State Coach and Gold State Coach were marched down the Mall shortly after 12.20am as part of the preparations for the historic event on Saturday 6 May.

A night time rehearsal in central London for the coronation of King Charles III (Photo: James Manning/PA Wire)A night time rehearsal in central London for the coronation of King Charles III (Photo: James Manning/PA Wire)
A night time rehearsal in central London for the coronation of King Charles III (Photo: James Manning/PA Wire)

Royal fans were treated to a peek of the Coronation after waiting for more than three hours for the parade to make a return journey down the Mall, with crowds running through St James’ Park to find the best spots near the palace. At least 15 tents are already positioned along the Mall and royal fans got to test their viewpoint as they prepare to camp out until Saturday.

Soldiers from the military, navy and RAF dressed in bright yellow and red military uniforms paraded through central London before stopping along Whitehall and standing in silence.

Many carried a wide range of instruments such as saxophones, trumpets, horns and cymbals but only the drums were played by marching soldiers until they returned down the Mall after 3am.

Hundreds of soldiers marched in central London (Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)Hundreds of soldiers marched in central London (Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Hundreds of soldiers marched in central London (Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
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The parade began when soldiers in yellow uniforms began the short journey and the brass band on horseback practised as they accompanied the stage coach as it passed through Westminster.Onlookers skipped along next to the stage coach and ran after the regiments of mounted soldiers that followed.

Buckingham Palace remained mostly silent as soldiers quietly maintained protocol until a regiment playing the bagpipes brought the area to life shortly after 2.30am.

Other soldiers were spotted parading in Parliament Square and practised changing position as Big Ben chimed, while artillery regiments rehearsed moving cannons on horseback and soldiers were seen pretending to fire the ceremonial weapons. The Gold State Coach was spotted passing Buckingham Palace shortly after 3.20am.

Royal fans were treated to a peek of the Coronation (Photo: Victoria Jones/PA Wire)Royal fans were treated to a peek of the Coronation (Photo: Victoria Jones/PA Wire)
Royal fans were treated to a peek of the Coronation (Photo: Victoria Jones/PA Wire)

The rehearsal took place hours after a man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace after throwing suspected shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds. He was detained at about 7pm on Tuesday (2 May) after he approached the palace’s gates and threw several items.

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The man was held by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon after he was searched and a knife was found, but he was not carrying a gun. Cordons were put in place and Scotland Yard said a controlled explosion was carried out as a precaution as the man had a “suspicious bag”.

Scotland Yard said the incident is no being treated as terror-related, but rather as an isolated mental health incident.

Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald said: “Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody.There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public. Officers remain at the scene and further inquiries are ongoing.”

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