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Buckingham Palace
The Mall heading towards Buckingham Palace.
Crowds will be clamouring for a glimpse of the coronation pageantry along The Mall, a tree-lined processional route between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, the King’s official London residence. Charles, Camilla and other royals are likely to step out onto the palace’s famous balcony to wave at well-wishers.
The public can get a peek inside, at the palace’s lavish State Rooms on special summer tours (July 14-September 24, 2023).
Weather-permitting, you can watch the ceremonial Changing of the Guard year-round in front of the palace. It’s at 11am, daily in summer, and on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday in other seasons.
See rct.uk/visit/buckingham-palace
Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens back on to Kensington Palace, now the official London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William).
The royal parks will be a magnet for picnickers over the coronation weekend. Compact St James’s Park and Green Park will be rammed, but patches of grass are usually easier to come by in the larger Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
The latter backs onto Kensington Palace, birthplace of Queen Victoria and now the official London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William). Visitors can walk through its elegant state apartments year-round, while the palace’s biggest-ever exhibition, From Crown to Couture (until October 29), flaunts eclectic fashions, including a gown from the court of King Charles II and a luminous green dress worn by Lady Gaga.
See hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall will host coronation concerts for King Charles III.
South of Kensington Gardens, Queen Victoria had this majestic venue built in honour of her late husband, Prince Albert. Crowned by a glass-and-iron dome, it will host coronation concerts for King Charles III on May 6 and 7, but it’s always worth a visit. Performances at the Royal Albert Hall range from rock gigs to the Proms, an eight-week summer festival of classical music, while tours highlight its ravishing decor and absorbing past. Not just a music hub, it has also staged bodybuilding contests, a Sumo wrestling tournament and even a seance for Sherlock Holmes creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
See royalalberthall.com
Steve McKenna was a guest of Visit Britain (visitbritain.com).