King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to be crowned in an elaborate coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Though the British government has planned a weekend of celebrations which include a pop concert at Windsor Castle and a national holiday, the centerpiece of the occasion will be the historic coronation ceremony itself.
Charles will be the 40th monarch crowned at Westminster Abbey, and guests from around Britain, the Commonwealth and the world have been invited to witness what will be the first coronation of a British sovereign in 70 years.
Speculation over the coronation guest list has circulated since plans for the ceremony were announced in October, three months after Charles acceded to the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
As the date draws near, a number of high-profile guests have publicly accepted their invitations. Here, Newsweek looks at who is going to King Charles' coronation, from crown princes to first ladies.
British Royals
As the most important ceremonial royal event of any reign, the coronation of a monarch is expected to bring out all extended members of the royal family to Westminster Abbey—with few exceptions.
The British royal guest list for the coronation is expected to closely follow that which was extended for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, also held at the abbey.
The King's Children
King Charles' two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will be in attendance at their father's coronation service. After mounting speculation that Harry may not make the journey to the United Kingdom amid the fallout of his memoir release, in which he was highly critical of his family, it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace that he would attend but without his wife, Meghan Markle.
At previous coronations, the sons of the monarch have played key roles and, as royal dukes, swore their allegiance to the king in a public showing of loyalty.
Though unconfirmed, Charles' service is reported to feature alterations from the traditional form which would see William and Harry play no ceremonial role.
The King's Grandchildren
So far, Prince George, the eldest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton is the only grandchild of King Charles' whose attendance at the coronation has been announced.
George will be a Page of Honour for his grandfather, a role that would see him hold the king's velvet train as he processes through the abbey.
It is also likely that the prince's sister, Princess Charlotte, and their youngest sibling, Prince Louis, could attend though this is not likely to be confirmed until the day.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, Charles' grandchildren through Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are confirmed not to be attending, instead remaining with their mother in California for the occasion. May 6 is also Archie's fourth birthday.
Extended Royal Family
Members of the royal family also expected to attend are the king's three siblings and their partners, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, as well as their children.
The monarch's cousins are also expected to attend, including the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester and the children of Princess Margaret: Lord Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto.
World Royals
Members of several senior European and international royal houses have confirmed their attendance at the coronation ceremony. Through the dynastic marriages of Queen Victoria's children and grandchildren, the British royals are related to many of the European houses as distant cousins.
Among the royal guests will be:
Crown Prince Fredrick of Denmark and his Australian-born wife, Crown Princess Mary
King Carl Gustav and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
King Phillipe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain
Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco
Representatives from the Greek and Romanian royal houses will also attend.
World Leaders
In addition to the largescale gathering of crowned heads present at the coronation ceremony, a host of world leaders have also confirmed their attendance or the attendance of their representatives.
It is believed that all nations Britain maintains full diplomatic relations with have been invited to send a representative, in line with the arrangements made for Queen Elizabeth's state funeral. Among them will be:
United States First Lady Jill Biden, who will act as President Joe Biden's representative
French President Emmanuel Macron
German Chancellor Olaf Schultz
Polish President Andrzej Duda
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola
President of the European Council Charles Michel
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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