After waiting more than seven decades to become monarch, King Charles III will be coronated at a lavish ceremony in Westminster Abbey on the first weekend of May.

The historic occasion will see His Majesty formally crowned following his ascension to the throne in September after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II — Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

The ceremony will be followed by a weekend of celebrations in the UK, including a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle that is set to kickstart the King’s official reign as sovereign.

Here is what we know about the festivities.

The King’s coronation is set to take place on Saturday, May 6.

The ceremony will be conducted by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury — a role that has been assigned to the Archbishop since 1066.

During the historic ceremony — code-named “Operation Golden Orb” — Charles, 74, will be anointed with holy oil.

His Majesty will then receive the orb, his coronation ring and a scepter, before being blessed by the Archbishop.

The King is expected to follow in the footsteps of previous monarchs by sitting in the Coronation Chair, also known as King Edward’s Chair.

The famous piece of furniture was made by order of Edward I in the 14th century to enclose the famous Stone of Scone.

The ceremony is expected to start at 11 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) at the iconic Westminster Abbey in London.

On the morning of May 6, the King and Queen will travel in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach to the ceremony.

Following the ceremony their Majesties will take the same route back to Buckingham Palace in what’s called “The Coronation Procession.”

The King and Queen will travel in the Gold State Coach for the occasion.

Later in the day, military personnel will perform a flypast of more than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.

The spectacle will take place above The Mall in London, located directly opposite Buckingham Palace, the official royal residence.

Camilla, 75, will be crowned Queen alongside her husband, much like the late Queen Elizabeth’s mother was back in 1937.

She, too, will be anointed with holy oil before having a crown placed on her head.

Camilla was originally meant to inherit the title of princess following the Queen’s death, however, the late monarch had voiced her request for Camilla to be named Queen Consort.

Following the coronation, “Consort” will be dropped from her title and she will be referred to as Queen Camilla or simply, the Queen. 

The guest list for the King’s coronation has been a hot topic.

The Duke of Norfolk, who as Earl Marshal is responsible for organizing the ceremony, has been tasked with scaling down the typically grandiose event into a simpler and shorter affair.

Prince William, 40 — the heir to the throne — and his wife, Princess Catherine of Wales, 41, are expected to attend the coronation.

Their eldest child, Prince George, 9, will have a starring role as one of the Pages of Honor during the service.

After all, Prince George is poised to have his own coronation one day as second in line to the throne after his father.

Princess Charlotte, 7, will also be in attendance but it is unclear if the Prince and Princess of Wales’ third child, Prince Louis, 5, will attend because of his age.

“The Prince and Princess of Wales will make a decision on Prince Louis’ attendance closer to the time,” a palace insider told Page Six in April.

Louis infamously made headlines in June 2022 for the funny faces he made on the balcony at Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

It’s also been confirmed that Charles’ siblings — Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — will be attending the ceremony.

While Anne and Edward’s attendance comes as no surprise, it could be seen as controversial for scandal-scarred Andrew to attend following his ties to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York — who was infamously stripped of his royal and military honors in 2022 by his late mother — can no longer go by the title His Royal Highness, or HRH.

Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, whom he still lives with, was snubbed from the royal guest list.

To make up for the apparent diss, the Duchess of York will reportedly be given a “VIP seat” at the concert the following day.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, will attend his father’s coronation — despite the runaway royal’s protocol-shattering memoir “Spare.”

His wife Meghan Markle, however, will remain at home in California with their son, Prince Archie, 3, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 1.

Coincidentally, May 6 is also Archie’s 4th birthday.

The official coronation invitations have been sent out to approximately 2,000 guests — a considerably smaller affair compared to Queen Elizabeth II’s 8,000 coronation guests in 1953.

Among them will be representatives from the Houses of Parliament and the Church of England, as well as prominent politicians from the Commonwealth and around the globe.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco “will definitely go” to the coronation, they previously announced.

“I’m certain that it’s going to be an incredible ceremony and a very moving one,” Albert told People in January. “We’ve maintained contact since His Majesty became king, but I haven’t talked to him personally since [Queen Elizabeth II]’s funeral.”

Japan royalty will be present at the coronation, as arrangements have been made for Crown Prince Akishino and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, to attend the occasion, according to Japanese local media.

It’s expected that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy will also attend the coronation, however, the Tory leader has not confirmed his attendance publicly at this time.

There will be no performances at the coronation ceremony, however, the King’s concert will feature a slew of famous names taking to the royal stage — including Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli and Lionel Richie.

The musical celebration will take place at Windsor Castle on Sunday, May 7.

“I am excited to be performing at the Coronation Concert and helping to shine a further light on the British Asian Trust’s Children’s Protection Fund,” said Perry, 38, who was appointed by Charles to the British Asian Trust in 2020.

Richie, 73, who was named the first global ambassador for the Prince’s Trust in February 2021 — a charity founded by Charles in 1976 — described it as “an honor and a celebration.”

Global opera phenomenon Bocelli, 64, and Welsh baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, 57, are also due to perform a duet together, while British classical-soul composer Alexis French will also appear at the event.

Other musical Brits to be featured at the gig include the band Take That, and English singer-songwriter Freya Ridings, as well as a choir group of 300 from across the four nations of the United Kingdom.

About 20,000 fans are expected to attend the public showcase, along with members of the royal family.

The gig’s planning was previously thrown into chaos after a slew of famous Brits, including Sir Elton John, Adele, Harry Styles, the Spice Girls and Robbie Williams, declined to perform.

For the ceremony itself, the King has personally commissioned 12 new musical pieces.

This will include the “Coronation Anthem” composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as the “Coronation March” composed by Patrick Doyle.

Andrew Nethsingha – organist and master of the choristers at Westminster Abbey – will direct the music throughout the ceremony, with the Royal Opera House’s Antonio Pappano conducting a Coronation orchestra.

The choice of music will “reflect the cultural breadth of the age in which we live,” according to the announcement.

What’s more, the Ascension Choir, comprised of “handpicked” gospel singers, is also due to perform.

Greek Orthodox music will be sung by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble in a touching tribute to the late Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at 99.

The royal family is nothing if not traditional.

So, when they announced the coronation ceremony’s signature dish – which they’re aptly naming “the coronation quiche” – it was surprising for many royalists who struggled to come to grips with it.

The dish, personally chosen by King Charles and Queen Camilla, features a mixture of spinach, broad beans, cheese, and tarragon.

It’s encouraged to be served at parties throughout the weekend, with the royals even posting a video on their page of how to make it.

However, naysayers may still opt to make the traditional coronation chicken — a creamy, decadent dish using curry that was created for Queen Elizabeth II’s ceremony in 1953, according to Le Cordon Bleu.

Another coronation tradition, albeit a lesser-known one, is that members of the public can take part in the ceremony — but the kicker is that their ancestors must have taken part in previous coronation ceremonies.

This tradition dates back more than 700 years.

The King is also steering away from tradition when it comes to fashion.

In previous times, royals such as dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons, have worn robes adorned with scarlet velvet when attending coronations.

The design of such floor-length robes dates back to the 17th century and vary in style depending on the guest’s ranking in the British aristocracy.

However, according to The Telegraph, Charles has requested that peers should wear their “usual parliamentary ermine”– as worn at the state opening of Parliament each year.

The full-length garment is typically made of scarlet wool with a collar of white miniver fur.

The King also requested that peers are dressed in standard business attire, the publication added.

For his part, the monarch is also looking to switch things up to keep up with the times.

In previous coronations, the monarch traditionally wore silk stockings and breeches — often worn for horse riding.

But it’s been reported Charles will don his military uniform on the big day in a bid to represent the “modern 21st-century monarchy.”

Meanwhile, Camilla enlisted the help of her friend Bruce Oldfield to design her coronation dress.

The decision was met with some backlash as Oldfield was the late Princess Diana’s “favorite” designer.

Buckingham Palace unveiled King Charles III’s official Coronation Emblem in February.

The design, which features a blue crown entombed within a field of red, stylized flowers, represents the new king’s “love of the natural world,” the palace said in a statement.

Designed by Sir Jony Ive using an iPhone, the emblem pays tribute to the King’s love of the natural world and features Union Jack colors.

It also depicts the flora of the four nations in the shape of St Edward’s Crown: the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland.

“The design was inspired by King Charles’ love of the planet, nature, and his deep concern for the natural world,” the former Apple designer said.

“The emblem speaks to the happy optimism of spring and celebrates the beginning of this new Carolean era for the United Kingdom. The gentle modesty of these natural forms combine to define an emblem that acknowledges both the joyful and profound importance of this occasion.”

The emblem will feature throughout the historic celebration, including the ceremony, the coronation concert, and on official merchandise commemorating the coronation.

All eyes will no doubt be on the crown that Charles will wear once he’s officially declared sovereign.

This will be the first, and only, time the monarch will don the St. Edward’s crown, which is made of solid gold and weighs five pounds.

His Majesty will also wear the Imperial State Crown during the coronation service.

The diadem, which contains 444 gemstones consisting of rubies, sapphires, garnets, and tourmalines, was last worn by Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

She famously described it as “unwieldy,” telling the BBC in 2018, “You can’t look down to read the speech, you have to take the speech up. Because if you did, your neck would break — it would fall off.”

“So there are some disadvantages to crowns, but otherwise they’re quite important things,” the late monarch added.

The crown was originally made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661 and is stored safely in the Tower of London.

Elsewhere, Camilla — who will become the first Consort to be crowned since the Queen Mother in 1937 — will have Queen Mary’s diamond-encrusted crown placed on her head during the ceremony.

Major British and US networks, such as BBC, ITV, CNN, NBC, and Fox News, are expected to broadcast the coronation live.

Royal fans are able to access their streams through YouTube for free, as well as traditional cable channels.

ABC News and Good Morning America also announced that they will each offer five hours’ worth of live coverage for viewers across the pond.

This can be accessed through cable, or on ABC and GMA‘s respective websites.

GMA can also be streamed via Hulu with monthly subscription plans starting at $8.