George, Charlotte And Louis Arrive For Coronation Rehearsal
The Prince and Princess of Wales have arrived at Westminster Abbey with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis ready for a Coronation rehearsal this morning.
They joined King Charles, Queen Camila and Princess Anne for the run through of Saturday’s historical event.
The whole family looked relaxed and happy as they arrived, chatting to members of the church at the front door before heading inside.
George is dressed in a blue suit while Charlotte, who celebrated her eighth birthday yesterday, wore a blue dress and cardigan. Camilla arrived in a car with two of her grandchildren, who will have starring roles in the Coronation.
The rehearsal comes just hours after a man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace after allegedly ‘shouting “I’m going to kill the King’ and throwing shotgun cartridges into the grounds.
The palace went into lockdown as Metropolitan Police detained the 59-year-old man – allegedly armed with a knife and shotgun cartridges – at about 7pm after he was seen throwing multiple items. Footage shows the suspect in handcuffs as officers took him into custody.
Today’s rehearsal will be especially important for George, who has been handed a key role in Saturday’s event.
The nine-year-old future king has been made one of the Pages, and will walk behind his grandad to carry his robes as he enters and leaves Westminster Abbey.
The King and George’s father, Prince William, were keen for the young prince to have an important role given his role as heir.
George and seven other boys named Pages of Honour will “attend their majesties”, the King and Queen, during the service.
They are primarily responsible for carrying their long, heavy robes. The honour is usually granted to teenage sons of members of the nobility and gentry, and especially of senior Royal Household members.
The boys are either family friends or relatives of Charles and Camilla.
READ: King Charles And Camilla Send Birthday Message To Princess Charlotte
Last night hundreds of soldiers took to the streets of London for a full rehearsal of the Coronation processions, which will take place both before and after the Coronation.
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach and Gold State Coach were marched down the Mall as part of the preparations for the full event.
The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was accompanied by hundreds of soldiers on horseback as it travelled along the Mall, setting off shortly after 12.20am on Wednesday.
Royal fans waited for more than three hours for the parade to make a return journey down the Mall.
Crowds ran through St James’ Park to find the best spots near the palace with many trying to spot their relatives in their military outfits.
Hundreds of soldiers from the military, navy and RAF marched through central London before stopping along Whitehall and standing in silence.
Many carried a wide range of instruments such as saxophones, trumpets, horns and cymbals but only the drums were played by marching soldiers until they returned down the Mall after 3am.
The parade had began when soldiers dressed in bright yellow uniforms began the short journey and the brass band on horseback practised as they accompanied the stage coach as it passed through Westminster.
Onlookers skipped along next to the stage coach and ran after the regiments of mounted soldiers that followed.