70 years, in other words. for some, at least, this is literally a once in a lifetime event. people are certainly treating it that way. they ve been camping out along the procession route, some for days now, wearing union jack, royal regalia and other patriotic knickknacks, young and old sleeping under tarps and tents on makeshift cots. around the city lanes to landmarks are decked in flags or lit up large for occasion. take a look at big ben there, 300 feet tall, embodying centuries of history as it s never been seen before. images of the national plants of england, scotland, wales and northern ireland projected on it. and words that had not been heard since 1952, god save the king. not far from there, westminster abbey tight as it is all around the city, where saturday morning the king and queen will arrive in a coach built for the king s mother on the 60th anniversary of her coronation. there is certainly a lot to cover. that s a bit about the circumstances. let s talk mo
the queen mother, in 1937. a personal moment between king and heir, william wishes his father good luck with a kiss. i, william, prince of wales, pledge my loyalty to you as your liegeman in life and limb, so help me god. after the ceremony the royal couple headed back to buckingham palace as the crowds cheered on along the mall. and the weather causes a scaled down fly past, but the red arrows delighted the crowds. good evening. the lightjust faded here at buckingham palace. there is queen victoria holding the orb in the memorial at buckingham palace with winged victory shimmering above her in these dark skies. still the rainfalls. most people have now left, some stragglers still soaking up left, some stragglers still soaking up the atmosphere of the day. there s been no event like it in seven decades. king charles iii has been crowned in a ceremony rich with music and symbolism at london s westminster abbey. the king took an oath on a bible promising to do fulfil the dut
we ll have all that and more, including the crowning moment itself later today at westminster abbey. these are pictures from inside the venue and how it will look for the grand ceremony. you can see the ornate chairs taking centre stage there, on top of the mediaeval mosaic floor of the church. crowds have been camping out ahead of the big day. they were treated to a surprise visit by king charles, the prince and the princess of wales. charles went to one side of the mall while william and kate went to the other. many continued to camp out despite the london rain, to save a spot on the procession route. let s go live now to bbc correspondent louisa pilbeam at the mall in london. it s good to see you. we thought everyone would be asleep getting ready for the big day, we understand you have been talking to some people. yes, i thought everyone would be asleep as well, so i ve been surprised. there are thousands of people down here, and many are awake. there are tenants by the si
the message i am hearing from people tonight is that they want us to focus on the priorities they want us to deliver for them. and that s about halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting lists and stopping the boats. we ll have the very latest on all the local election results. also on the programme: at westminster abbey, the final preparations have been made for the first coronation in 70 years. god save the queen! the king and the prince and princess of wales, do a walkabout on the mall, chatting to people who ve grabbed a prime spot for tomorrow s procession. some asked about her children: they re really well, thank you. are they excited? excited, a bit nervous, obviously, with a big day ahead. but they can t wait, actually. what about you and william? yeah, all good. and memories of the last coronation we speak to people who played a part in the ceremony of 1953. and on bbc london. just 16 hours to go until the coronation procession in the sp
from msnbc world headquarters here in new york, i am alex witt. welcome to our special coverage of the coronation of britain s king charles. this is london live, you are about to see it is under light rain, it is ten a.m. british summertime. over the next five hours we will step into instant history. the scenes that we watch together will be in high definition, but centuries old. ancient ritual, but contemporary in immediate s spectacle. tradition in scope and afield but accented in modern controversy and attended by a worldwide audience, many of whom will view in fascination. others, disdain. we will try to provide a spectrum of motion and analysis in that perspective as the events unfold. happening right now, heads of state, government officials, and other dignitaries arriving at westminster abbey in anticipation of a ceremony steeped in 1000 years of tradition. the last coronation was 1953 when then 25 year old elizabeth the second was crowned queen as the four year old so