The United Kingdom has had no coronation ceremony in 70 years since 1953 when Elizabeth II became the queen of England. But now the historic event is happening again on May 6 in which we’ll see Elizabeth’s son King Charles formally take his position as monarch. A three-day celebration is planned in London and the world will be watching it.

The Britons and visitors are all gearing up for this much-awaited event not only because it will officially make Charles the king of England but also because it is taking place ahead of the Commonwealth.

The coronation ceremony is called ‘Operation Golden Orb’.  It will take place at Westminster Abbey, where kings and queens have been crowned for over 900 years. Prince Charles II was 73 when he became king, older than any British monarch before him. He recently announced his five-year modernisation plan to save money and slim down the royal family. That means the royal family will now have to become more independent.

The coronation ceremony will include a procession on oath, the anointing and the crowning, but this time the focus is not entirely on traditions but on the common people and their expectations from the new king, as 51 per cent of British people say that the UK government should not fund the ceremony.

According to the news circulating in the media, all the royal family members will be attending the coronation ceremony except Meghan Markle will be attending the ceremony. Around 2,000 guests are expected and Rs 1000 crore will be spent on this auspicious day. The king is expected to sit on his grandfather, George lV’s throne, putting on a 90-year-old robe of the state and Saint Edward’s crown that weighs around 2.23 kg. His wife Camilla will wear Queen Elizabeth’s coronation robe but she will not be wearing the controversial colonial Eire Kohinoor Diamond crown.

Coronation is also a solemn religious ceremony with the Church of England and bars at law among others playing an active role in its services. What’s noteworthy is that for the first time a practicing Hindu, Rishi Sunak, will be reciting from the Bible in his capacity as the prime minister of the country. A Hindu, a Sikh and a Muslim priest are invited for the coronation event.

French President Emanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the President of the Philippines and the Chinese vice-president are expected to attend the ceremony. Not even a political leader but also monarchs from different countries will be present on the occasion. Rowan Atkinson, Sonam Kapoor, Tom Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, Bear Grylls, Tom Jones will participate in pre-recorded video segments. From India, Sonam Kapoor will be delivering a spoken word performance. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar is expected to attend the ceremony from India. Dr Isaac Mathai, a Bengaluru based doctor and the chairman of Sokya which is an international holistic Centre, is also invited to the ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

Dabbawalas of Mumbai are also getting ready to attend Prince Charles’s coronation ceremony as they were also invited to this event they were buying gifts for the king as well as the Queen.

All these invitees are expected to reflect the modern and multicultural Britain that will evolve further under the new king.