Coronation live: King Charles leads royals onto palace balcony

King Charles III, Queen Camilla and members of the royal family appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet a cheering crowd following the monarch’s coronation – a first in Britain in 70 years.

The royal couple were first in line for the throne, Prince William, his wife Kate and their children.

Also on the balcony were two of Charles’ siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.

Thousands of well-wishers flocked to the Mall, the grand avenue leading up to Buckingham Palace, to get as close as possible and catch a glimpse of the royal presence.

Despite heavy rain, crowds were clamoring to get the best seats in front of the palace.

The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force’s aerobatic team, impressed the crowd when they took off and left a red, white and blue trail across the sky.

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The ceremony is expected to take about two hours. Which includes recognition, oath, consecration, investiture and homage.

After that, the coronation procession will see the royal family travel back to the palace, where they will appear on the balcony to shake hands with the public and receive the royal salute from the UK and Commonwealth armed forces.

Tomorrow, the royals will be honored again at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle.

The concert will feature performances by Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Take That and opera singers Andrea Bocelli and Sir Brian Terfel.

Royal enthusiasts are encouraged to take part in local Big Lunch celebrations and Big Help Out volunteering days.

In London, the streets are lined with bunting, flags and the ever-present merchandise with a coronation theme in the build-up to the historic event.

On Friday, representatives of the New Zealand coronation gathered with Hipkins for an informal reception.

But the start of New Zealand’s diplomatic mission coincided with the UK coronation king charles An opening ceremony at New Zealand House in London has got off to a bang with flamboyant performances by the Maori king and tikanga.

The event was attended by King Tuhetia and hosted by High Commissioner Phil Goff, with dignitaries such as Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and Dame Rangimari Naida Glavish also in attendance.

Things got rough from the start, with Goff taking the podium to greet the crowd and welcoming them all into the meeting place.

Gough began with the Prime Minister and the Governor-General – eventually, with his back to the King, he acknowledged the Emperor.

The approach was greeted by puzzled faces before Gough made a clumsy reference to how some in the crowd had watched the coronation to show the significance of the proceedings involving King Charles III.

Then the Kingitanga spokesmen got up and interrupted.

First in Te Reo Māori and then in English, Archdeacon Ngira Symonds addressed the neglect of Tikanga.

“I need to express my deep dismay at what has happened here,” Symonds said.

No such tension happened overnight when Hipkins met his British counterpart Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing St.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Hipkins said that New Zealand and Britain have had the best relationship in a long time.

entry into force of the UK Free Trade Agreement [FTA] Clearly a very important milestone for that relationship and future opportunities within that relationship,” he said.

Ahead of their meeting, Hipkins and Sunak announced that New Zealand’s FTA with Britain would come into force later this month.

Opposition leader Christopher Luxon has also made his mark in London.

On the eve of the coronation, he visited a pub in London for a pre-coronation drinks ceremony with ex-Pat Kiwi.

On this side of the world, New Zealanders are also gearing up for the coronation.

In Auckland, that includes everything from the Vector Lights on Auckland’s Harbor Bridge to the PWC Tower and even the coronation makeover of Auckland’s War Memorial Museum.

On Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6, from sunset onwards, the iconic landmark will be painted in royal colours, and royal fans are encouraged to go down and take a picture to mark the once-in-a-lifetime event goes.

The full list of Auckland venues lighting up in the Royal Purple tonight:

It’s just another way New Zealand is honoring the coronation of the king and queen consort, after Hipkins revealed last month that the country is a Donated $1 million to Counting Trees.

The Foundation will work with the Department of Conservation and community groups to plant over 100,000 native trees in the O Rakau Titapu – King Charles III Coronation Planting.

“This donation will create a living legacy to benefit all New Zealanders, provide greater resilience against climate change, and align with King Charles’ lifelong interest in environmental protection,” Hipkins said.

It’s a gift that will surely resonate with King, who is passionate about the environment and taking action against climate change, as well as being a keen gardener.

Collectors keen to honor the king can get their hands on commemorative stamps and coins from NZ Post, which launched on 3 May. The New Zealand Defense Force will hold a gun salute in Wellington on 7 May, and the next New Zealand Royal Honors List will be renamed The King’s Birthday and Coronation Honors List 2023.

For up-to-the-minute coverage, you can follow NZ Herald For live updates from the coronation. Our lifestyle and entertainment editor Jenny Mortimer will be reporting live from London during the events of the coronation.

The Coronation will also be broadcast on TVNZ1 and TVNZ from 10:00 NZ time, and on Monday, 8 May, TVNZ1 will show the Coronation Concert at 8pm.